Megaman ZX: From Dawn to Darkness
by RebornEnvy
Summary: Sequel to Megaman Zero: Return of Forte. Takes place after the events of Megaman ZX. Pairings include AilexVent, LeviathanxHarpuia, ZeroxCiel, and eventual FortexPrairie Yes, you read that right, it's not a mistake. *DISCONTINUED*
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman ZX, Megaman Zero, or anything starting with Megaman/Rockman. Sadly, I do not even own the game Megaman ZX. This disclaimer will go for all future chapters.

Well, everyone, here's the sequel to my story Megaman Zero: Return of Forte. I highly recommend that you read that first or else you might not get some of the things that happen here.

Anyways, I don't actually own the game Megaman ZX, so not everything here will be accurate plot wise, in fact, I even changed some of the things on purpose. If there's something really important I missed or made a mistake on, just tell me and I'll try to change it.

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It's been weeks since the defeat of Serpent. Irregular attacks are occurring more frequently, and without Slither Inc. the Guardians have to work harder to protect the inhabitants of Innerpeace.

Aile and Vent continue to work for the Guardians after the defeat of Serpent to protect humanoids. Aile and Vent have met ten years ago in the park since their moms were friends. Both of them suffered the fate of losing their mothers and if it wasn't for Girouette, they would have died as well.

Model W, Pandora, and Prometheus are still out there somewhere plotting their next scheme. However, a new threat will soon prove to be more than the two chosen ones can handle alone… 

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**Guardian HQ**

"Alright, you two, go into the medic wing and we'll have you both examined." Prairie drags Vent and Aile to Rose.

"Why do we need to do this again?" Aile tries to protest but isn't able to break out of Prairie's grip.

"We have to make sure there are no harmful effects from using the biometals." Prairie stops for a moment. "Well, we're here." 

"Do I have to go through with this? I don't feel any different." Vent tries to escape, but fails as well.

"Alright, Rose, they're all yours."

"Come this way." Rose leads Vent and Aile to two different beds as she starts the examination. 

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"Is there anything wrong?" Prairie looks at Rose going over the results with an intense look on her face.

"Well, there is a small side effect, but it's very unpredictable." She looks at Vent and Aile to make sure that they are paying attention. 

"What's wrong with us?" They both say in unison.

"Everytime you use the biometals, you have two voices in your head, right?" Vent and Aile nod as Rose continues. "Anyways, this can cause a bit of confusion inside your brain. In other words, you might get mood swings. That's the only problem I can find for now, you two better go back to your room."

"Alright, I'll race you there, Aile." Vent looks back but finds Aile already at the door.

"You're on!" Vent chases her down the hall as Prairie looks at them. 

"Aren't you gonna stop them, commander?"

"They've gone through a lot since they acquired the biometals. They need to act like kids once in a while." Prairie hears the footsteps slowly subside. "Well, I guess I should go back as well. Night, Rose." 

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**Aile and Vent's Room**

"Aile?" Vent looks at the sleeping figure sleeping on the lower bunk. She groans for a moment and sits up.

"What is it, Vent?"

"I'm scared, can I sleep next to you." Aile starts to cough before putting the pillow over her head. She starts to blush a bit as she thinks over Rose's words.

_"You might get mood swings." Well, Vent certainly doesn't act like this very often. Maybe if I ignore him, it'll be okay._

**Thirty Minutes Later**

"Please, Aile, Please…" Aile tries to hide under her blanket, but Vent's words seem to pierce right through it.

"Alright! I give up." She moves to the wall to create some more room. "Just stay on your side and don't try anything funny."

"Thank you!" Vent moves down as the two of them go to sleep. 

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**Prairie's Room**

Prairie looks at the crystal stuffed animal on her desk as she smiles, remembering the events of the past. _The last time I saw Forte was back when he left the Resistance. Is it possible to know someone for such a short time and still care so much about them?_

Prairie sighs as she thinks over the events of the past. It's been a long time since Ciel's disappearance, but Vent and Aile's words encouraged her to continue looking for clues. _Where are you, sis?_

Prairie decides to go to sleep and worry about everything else the next morning, but someone starts knocking on her door. Prairie gets up and gets dressed.

"I'm coming, just wait." She opens the door to find a Guardian. 

"Commander, there's another Irregular attack in Innerpeace!"

"Are there any more units left that can take care of it?"

"Everyone else is already taking care of other Irregular attacks." Prairie sighs for a moment.

"Alright, I'll go get Vent and Aile." Prairie motions for the Guardian to leave the room and finishes getting dressed. _It looks like defeating Serpent still hasn't solved the problem yet. Where are all these Irregulars coming from?_

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**Vent and Aile's Room**

"Hey, Vent, Aile," Prairie turns on the light as the two chosen ones groan. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Aile opens her eyes and immediately turns red as she pushes Vent off her bed. _How did that happen? I told him to stay on his side of the bed._ She continues to blush as she remembers seeing Vent's face as she woke up and how they were in each other's arms.

"Huh!?" Vent wakes up with a start as his head hits the floor. He immediately stands up in his blue pajamas. He looks at Prairie as he immediately stands up. "What do you need, commander?"

"Get dressed and go to the Commander's Room, there's another Irregular attack." Vent gets dressed first and rushes off as Aile waits before coming out of bed.

"You know, you shouldn't rush a relationship like that in your age." Aile's face turns red at Prairie's comment.

"Vent was having a mood swing and it was the only way to make him shut up." Prairie just winks at Aile.

"I'm sure his mood swing has nothing to do with the fact that you were hugging him back." Prairie narrowly dodges a pillow before leaving the room. "Well, you should get dressed as well."

Aile grumbles something about nosy commanders as she gets dressed and leaves the room. 

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"Well, this is the place." Vent and Aile look around to see Irregulars attacking a building. "All the humanoids have been evacuated. Let's do this!"

"Rock-on!" Model X and Z appear in front of them. Vent slashes at some galleon hunters as Aile starts shooting.

"Hey, Vent, is it just me, or are the biometals more quiet than usual? They're usually more talkative than this, except Model P." Vent thinks about it for a second.

"You know what, I noticed that as well." Vent slashes at a nearby galleon hunter. "They usually say things like duck or behind you and give other helpful tips, but I haven't been hearing that lately."

"Alright, let's just tell Prairie when we get back." Aile shoots down the last galleon before the two of them go back to base. 

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**Guardian HQ**

"Is there anything wrong with the biometals?" Vent and Aile look worriedly as Prairie and some scientists continue to scan them.

"It seems that apart of the biometal has been separated. It's no longer living anymore, but you can still use them."

"Oh, then there shouldn't be much of a problem. Alright, I'm going back to our room." Vent leaves the room as Prairie looks at Aile with a serious look on her face.

"What is it, commander?"

"Do you two have enough experience to fight a real battle?"

"I think so…" Aile starts to realize where this is going. _Me and Vent always had the help of the biometals whenever we fought, if another threat like Serpent appears, how will we handle it?_

"Alright, just be careful. Prometheus and Pandora are still out there. Don't try to fight them by alone. The two of you have only fought for a few weeks. You can't defeat them without more experience. If you're losing a fight, then run."

"Alright, Prairie, I'll keep that in mind." Aile leaves the room as well as Prairie watches them. _We need your help more than ever, sis. I don't think the two of them can handle this by themselves anymore…_

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"So, this place is intact after all." A hooded figure walks down the stairs and looks at the old lock in front of him. He enters a few numbers as the door opens. The room is filled with blueprints and chips of different kinds.

The figure looks carefully and picks out five different chips. "These five will do quite nicely." The figure starts to walk away and leave the room.

"Soon, it'll be time for me to make my move…" 

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"Is it ready yet, Prometheus?" Model W speaks to Pandora and Prometheus through a telepathic connection.

"Almost…" Pandora presses a few buttons as she looks at the figure in the tube. "What makes you think that this can defeat the chosen ones?" 

"Serpent was nothing more than a normal person with ambitions. If my power can make him so powerful, think of what it will do to this." Prometheus presses a few buttons on the machine.

"He can take down the Guardians, but the chosen ones are mine!" Prometheus looks as the tube opens and the figure steps out. 

"Welcome back. You'll be the new servant of Model W…" The figure seems to ignore Prometheus as he looks around for his own weapons.

"He's been infused with the power of Model W." Pandora looks at the figure. "The chosen ones stand don't stand a chance this time…" 

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Anyways, remember to read and review.


	2. Chapter 1: The Enemy Emerges

Well, here's the next chapter. I got this idea from SpartanCommander's suggestion, thought it isn't exactly like that. Anyways, here it is:

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**Guardian HQ**

"Commander, the park has been secured." A Guardian appears on the screen. "All Irregulars in the area have been neutralized."

"Alright, prepare to come back." The screen goes blank for a second and some screens are heard.

"Irregular… attack… backup…" The transmission is lost and Prairie looks at the door.

"Come out, Aile and Vent, I know you two are there." Aile and Vent come into the room after a few seconds of hesitation. "I guess the two of you want to go there…" Prairie pauses for a moment as she looks at the area on the map. "Are you two going to be okay over there?"

"That's where our moms died…" Vent looks at the area, remembering the fight with Purprill. Aile just nods her head.

"Come on, let's go." The two of them get on the trans-server and leave the room. Prairie looks at them leaving and sighs.

_I hope the two of them will be okay. I have a feeling this isn't just a normal Irregular attack. Don't overdo it…_

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**Amusement Park**

"Prairie, I don't see any Guardians so far…" Aile looks around. "I don't see any Irregulars either."

"Alright, keep your guard up." Vent and Aile start to move forward in their human form as they look around to investigate.

"We should go and split up. You take that area and I'll take this area. If you find anything then yell."

"Should we meet here if we don't find anything?" Aile thinks about it for a moment, remembering the last time they were here.

"The two paths lead to one end. Just keep on moving forward and we'll eventually meet." Vent nods as he moves ahead.

"What if we meet any enemies? Who should take the biometals with them?" Vent tries to give the biometals to Aile, but she pushes them back. 

"I don't think we'll find any enemies here. Besides, I'm faster than you so I have a better chance of running away and getting backup."

"Alright, just be careful." The two of them split off and go their separate ways.

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"Well, did you find anything?" Vent runs in to see Aile already there, waiting for him.

"Nothing, not even a single enemy, this place is a bit too quiet for my tastes." Vent looks around. "Wait, I think I see someone!" They go forward to find an injured Guardian. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine…" The Guardian looks forward. "Everyone else in my squad was attacked…"

"Who attacked you?" Aile helps the Guardian up as Vent continues to keep guard.

"I don't know, the last thing I knew, the plants came to life and then nothing. I don't remember how I survied." Vents gets out his communicator.

"Commander, are you there?" He gets no response and starts hitting it, but still doesn't get anything. "Well, what should we do now?"

"I guess we don't have any other choice than to move forward." Aile helps the Guardian stand up. "You should go back to headquarters and tell Prairie."

"I'll come with you two. I don't want to abandon my comrades." The two chosen ones nod their head in approval as they move on. "Be careful of the plants."

The three of them continue to move until they reach the end. Vent looks around. "Where the heck is everyone? We've only found one Guardian."

"So the two of you finally decided to show…" The two chosen ones quickly turn as a figure walks in. The figure has green and purple armor. Two vine-like tails come out of his back. His head is black with full green eyes. The helmet on his head appears to be pink and shaped like a flower.

"Who are you? You're not a Pseudoroid…" The figure just chuckles. 

"You can call me Plantman. It's good to finally be back after all these years. I've come here to destroy you chosen ones." The ground begins to crack as vines come up and surround Aile and Vent. 

"Rock-on!" Vent and Aile transform into Model FX as they burn away the vines. Vent looks at the Guardian. "Just stay here and don't get in the way."

"Where are the others?" Aile fires at Plantman, but bamboos emerge from the ground and take the hit for him. "Are you working for Model W?" 

"The other Guardians are over there, waiting to be made into fertilizer." Plantman points to a prison made out of plants. "I have no idea who this Model W is, so the answer is no."

"I'll make you pay!" Vent charges at Plantman with his fists burning. Plantman just easily sidesteps the attack. Aiel tries to get close, but Plantman's tail latches onto Vent and slams him into Aile.

"I made a mistake in thinking that the two of you would actually be a challenge." Vent fires a shot at Plantman, but he dodges it. "Oh well."

"Vent, we can't hit him with Model FX, we need to use something else." Vent continues firing, but none of the shots connect.

"Got it." Vent grabs another Biometal. "Rock-on!" Their armors change into that of Model ZX as they get out their sabers and busters.

"Alright, let's do this!" Vent charges at Plantman and attempts to slash at Plantman, but Plantman catches the blade with his hands.

"How long have you been fighting? That was a careless move." Aile shoots her buster at Plantman, making him lose his grip on Vent as Vent slashes at Plantman.

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"We can talk about that later, right now, let's take this guy down." 

"Grr… I'll make you pay for that. Yellow Flower!" A yellow flower comes out of the ground and releases its pollen.

"I can't see… Vent, where are you?" Aile feels a slash from behind her and immediately fires her Z-Buster at the direction.

"Ow!" 

"Vent, is that you?" Aile thinks for a moment. "We need to get rid of this pollen, use Model HX!"

"Alright, Rock-on!" The two of them transform again. Aile creates a hurricane on the ground, blowing all the pollen away.

_Where is he? Did he escape?_ Aile tries to move, but finds some vines latched onto her foot. _This isn't good!_

"It's over now!" Plantman appears in front of her. Vines start to surround his hand and harden into a spear. Plantman charges and Aile and prepares to attack but Vent blocks it with his twin blades. "You really think an electric blade can stop my attack?"

_I have to help him…_ Aile slices the vines holding her and slashes at Plantman. "Thanks for the save, now we're even."

"Hmph, you two are centuries too young to fight on even grounds with me!" Plantman gets out his tail as he fires thorns at Aile and Vent. 

_There's too many of them!_ Aile and Vent both get hit by the thorns as electricity starts to come out of their armor. "We can't keep on fighting him like this!"

"There are too many plants here. He's too powerful with those here." Plantman fires another volley of thorns as the two of them take flight into the air. "We need to cut the plants down." The two of them land back down.

"Alright, leave it to me. Rock-on!" Both their armors change into a light blue color. "Plants can't grow if they're frozen, right?" Vent and Aile both simultaneously fire an ice dragon at Plantman. Plantman avoids the attack, but it makes contact with the plants and freezes them.

"I'll make you pay for that!" Vent and Aile charge at Plantman, but he grabs onto Aile's leg with his tail and slams her at Vent, knocking them both back. He transforms his arm into a spear and pierces both of them. "It's over now!"

_I can barely move…_ Vent looks as Plantman moves closer to finish them off. _We can't let him hit us again…_ "Rock-on!" 

"What?" Plantman brings down the spear at Vent, but he dashes right through him. Aile jumps up into the air and throws a large shuriken at him as Vent does the same from behind. "Bamboo Shield!" Bamboo burst out of the ground again and blocks the attack.

"You've had enough yet, Plantman?" Vent gets out another Biometal. "We'll you along with your plants?" Plantman starts to laugh as Vent brings out the Biometal.

"I've already did my job. I'll be taking my leave now." Plantman turns his back to the two chosen ones.

"I'm not letting you go anywhere!" Aile tries to get grab Plantman, but gets hit by something from behind. The two of them turn to find the Guardian with a gun pointed at them.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't underestimate us, humans!" A dark aura starts to surround the Guardian as he changes forms. His face turns into a pale blue color and his hands turn into claws. His armor becomes a purple color and he brings his arms outward to reveal bat-like wings.

"I didn't need you to step in, Lord Shademan."

"I wanted you to hurry it up. Crush Noise!" A shockwave comes out from his wings, hitting both Vent and Aile. _He's too strong, we can't win!_ Vent and Aile try to resist the attack, but gets knocked down and revert back to their human forms.

"Consider yourselves lucky. We have other things to attend to, so we'll spare you for now." Shademan and Plantman start to walk away. The plant prison starts to wither as Guardians come out.

"Look! It's the chosen ones!" A Guardian helps Vent up and another one helps Aile. "We need to get them back to headquarters as soon as possible!"

_We lost today. How many more opponents will there be out there like them? I guess we really aren't ready for combat by ourselves…_ Vent and Aile faint as the Guardians carry them back. 

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**Guardian HQ**

"It looks like the two of you are okay…" Vent opens his eyes to find himself in the medic wing… again. "You really took a beating back there."

Aiel opens her eyes as well as she looks at Prairie. "Well, I guess we're okay now." Aile tries to stand up, but collapses onto the bed.

"You two should rest for a while. Humans need more time to recover than reploids." Prairie looks at the two humans in bed. "Don't overdo it next time, okay? I don't want to lose the two of you as well…"

"What do you mean by as well?" Aile realizes what her commander said. "You mean like your sister?"

"My sisters and some other disappeared a long time ago. I don't want that to happen to the two of you." Prairie looks down as she remembers her past.

"Alright, commander, we'll be more careful." Vent answers for the both of them before Prairie turns to leave.

"Who attacked you?"

"Well, it was someone named Plantman and later, someone named Shademan. They said that they aren't working for Model W, though Plantman did address Shademan as Lord Shademan…"

"I see…" Prairie walks out the room, leaving Vent and Aile alone. Vent looks at Aile for a moment.

"Do you think we can really handle this by ourselves?"

"We aren't alone, Vent. We have the commander as well." Aiel goes to sleep and Vent follows soon after. 

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"Alright, here's the data on the biometals that you wanted." Shademan looks at the figure on the monitor. "Now, are you gonna help us get what we need?"

"You want the plans for the Ciel System from Guardian HQ, right?" Shademan nods at the figure's voice.

"Can you get them?"

"Yes, I need some time and someone to help me make sure there aren't any interruptions." Shademan claps his hands as a bunch of robots come in.

"Burnerman, be his escort."

"Alright, Lord Shademan." The monitor turns off.

"Soon, we will have an infinite army of darkness, and we will overrun the world!" Shademan starts laughing as the others in the room laugh as well.

"It will begin tomorrow, Burnerman, get ready." 

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"All preparations are complete, Model W." Pandora looks at Prometheus eying the Guardian Base from the monitor.

"Good, let the attack begin tomorrow. I trust the three of you will be able to handle anyone in the way."

"Don't worry about that, Model W, I'll easily destroy these so-called chosen ones." Weil's new servant twirls his weapon in his hands. 

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So now, we have two groups aiming to rule the world. I decided to reveal the identity of Weil's new servant next chapter, tell me what you guys think so far.


	3. Chapter 2: Assault on Guardian HQ

I'm basing them on their EXE counterparts, but only appearance wise, since I think they look better. For you Forte fans, he won't appear for a while, but he will be a part of the story. Well, this chapter is pretty short since it sets the mood for the next chapters: 

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**Guardian HQ**

"Are you two feeling any better?" Prairie goes to the medic wing to visit Vent and Aile. "If you need anything, then don't hesitate to tell me."

"Yeah, the ringing in my head is finally gone." Vent gets up from his bed. "Have there been any Irregular attacks lately?"

"None that we couldn't take care of. Just keep on resting, you two need it after all you've been through." Prairie looks at Aile, who starts to get up as well.

"I'm pretty sure that we'll be out of here soon." A Guardian bursts into the room panting heavily.

"Commander… Someone has gotten past our security. There are two groups attacking from different areas."

"What!? I'll get right on it. Split the Guardians up and search in every room. Don't try to approach them alone of you find anything." The Guardian leaves the room as Prairie turns to Vent and Aile. "Well, I guess I better be going as well. Take care of yourselves, okay?" 

After waiting for a few moments, Aile gets up from the bed. "Come on, we better go check this out."

Vent gets up as well as the two of them leave the room. "Who do you think it is, Aile?" Aile thinks for a moment.

"Shademan's group, probably, he seems to be plotting something." Aile keeps on running. "Hurry, I'm sure that the commander needs our help." 

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"Recovery and immunization successful," A robotic voice seems to call out, "Preparing to release the occupants." The five pods in the room open up as five reploids step outside.

"Zero! You're okay!" Ciel jumps at Zero and hugs him. "I'm glad that it worked…" Zero seems to be looking at a distance. "What's wrong?"

"Something's wrong in Guardian HQ, I can feel it." Zero looks at the other reploids as well as they nod in agreement. "Come on, we better go and help the two chosen ones."

"Man, it feels so great to move by myself again!" Leviathan stretches for a moment. "My memory seems to be complete now and I still remember everything as a biometal."

"Come on, we better go stop whatever problem there is." Harpuia starts to shake a bit for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Fefnir notices the look of concentration in Harpuia's eyes.

"Nothing, I just thought that I felt something strangely familiar for a moment." Harpuia opens the door and activates his jets. "Come on, we better go."

Fefnir and Leviathan follow him as X and Zero look at Ciel. "Well, Zero, guess you have to carry her. I'll be going as well." X transforms into his falcon armor and flies off. Zero shows his back to Ciel. 

"Well, climb on." Ciel climbs onto Zero's back as he speeds off again. He pauses for a moment before moving again. "I think Harpuia's right, there is something strangely familiar on Guardian HQ."

"I hope whatever it is. It doesn't cause too much trouble." Zero speeds up, catching up to X, and then catching up to the other three reploids. 

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**Guardian HQ**

"Burning Jet!" Flames engulf Burnerman as he knocks down the Guardians. "This is too easy!" Burnerman transforms his arm into a flamethrower as he aims at the Guardians.

"We don't have time for this!" A door closes, blocking Burnerman's path. "I've hacked into the security system, come on, let's go."

"Fine, if you say so." The two of them find a door as Burnerman looks at his partner. His partner nods as Burnerman gets out his flamethrower and burns down the door. "Is this the place?"

Burnerman's partner goes up to a computer as he starts rapidly typing. "I'm going to need some more time to copy everything down. Make sure no one gets in the way." There are a few knocks on the door as Burnerman smiles.

"No problem!" Burnerman opens the door and attacks the Guardians, knocking them out cold as reinforcements arrive. "The only thing you people have is numbers!" Burnerman burns the reinforcements as he waits for more. 

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"What happened here?" Aile and Vent find a hall with damaged Guardians. "Are they even still alive?"

"I'm not sure." Vent frowns for a moment. "Let's keep on going." The two of them continue to move on and hear more screams coming from Guardians. A body gets thrown at them, and they barely dodge t as three figures come out.

"Well, looks like the chosen ones decided to show up after all." An all too familiar figure to both Vent and Aile moves forward out of the shadows.

"Prometheus! It was you behind the attacks." Vent gets out his biometal. "Rock-on!" Both Vent and Aile transform into Model ZX as Prometheus laughs.

"You really think you can defeat the three of us?" Vent frowns as he tries to make out the two figures behind Prometheus. He recognizes one as the figure of Pandora, but couldn't quite put his finger on the other person.

"Did you two stoop as low as fighting an unfair fight?" Pandora steps out of the shadows and speaks up.

"This is coming from the two people who decided to gang up on Serpent to defeat him?" Aile frowns at her remark. "Anyways, it'll only be me and Prometheus fighting you."

The other figure steps out of the shadow as Vent and Aile immediately realize who it was. "Model P!?"

"You can just call me by my real name, Phantom." The ninja reploid starts to leave the room. "I serve Model W now. I'll continue to look and find the other members of the Guardians. If you two aren't done by the time I'm finished, I'll interfere with your fight." 

"Wait!" Vent tries to follow Phantom, but gets knocked back by Prometheus's scythe.

"Don't try to run away from us!" Aile tries to follow as well, but gets knocked down by an electric snake.

"You're not going anywhere." Pandora and Prometheus draw their weapons as Vent and Aile do the same. _This isn't good, we were barely able to defeat them last time, and now, we don't have the biometals to help us._

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Prairie walks around the halls to see some badly burnt Guardians. "Are you all okay? You should go to the medic wing." Prairie tries to give a Guardian a hand, but he doesn't take it.

"Go to the archives… two intruders are… there… we'll be… alright…" Prairie nods as the Guardian gives her his hand gun. 

_I just hope I'm not too late._ Prairie moves forward to the locked door and types in a combination on the lock. The door opens to reveal two figures. One seems to be a reploid with red armor and two streaks of fire coming from his head.

The other seems to be a male humanoid, about the same age as Prairie looks like. He has long silver hair reaching down to his elbow and both of them have their backs turned to her.

"Freeze!" The two figures turn, the silver haired male reveals his red eyes as they look at the gun in Prairie's hand.

"Heh, should I destroy her?" The silver haired male's hands leave the computer as a small disk pops out.

"There's no need, I'm already done. Let's get out of here quickly." Fire comes out of Burnerman's hands as he burns the floor, creating an exit.

_They've escaped, what were they after?_ Prairie looks down at the hole in the floor. _Well, I better take everyone to Rose._ Prairie helps a two Guardians up and leads them to the medic wing. 

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**Outside**

"Well, I guess we've escaped for now." Burnerman prepares to move, but a shockwave heads toward the two of them as they narrowly doge it. "Who's there?"

"So you two are the intruders." A crimson reploid with a green saber greets the two of them as four more reploids and a human catch up to him.

"That's right, the name's Burnerman. You better remember the name of the person who destroyed you." He prepares to lunge at the red reploid, but gets stopped by his accomplice.

"Stand back, Burnerman, he's mine."

"And you are?" Zero looks at the human. _It doesn't seem like he has any weapons. Looks can be deceiving, I better be careful for any tricks he might try to pull._

"I go by a lot of names. For now, you can just call me Yuriskah." Burnerman eyes the other reploids, looking for a suitable opponent. 

"I guess I'll just take the other red one." Burnerman points at Fefnir as Fefnir gets out his twin buster. "I'll burn you to a crisp!"

"I haven't had a good fight in a long time. I'm going to enjoy this." Zero looks back at Ciel and the others.

"You should all go inside and check on things. I and Fefnir will take care of these two." X leaves and Harpuia and Leviathan follow.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Zero nods as Ciel goes as well. Zero turns to Yuriskah.

"You're going to regret making that decision, Zero."

"How do you know my name?" Zero looks over the person in front of him. _I thought most of the people forgot about me…_

"I spent some of my time researching the biometals, so I learned about their origins." Yuriskah pauses for a moment. "Although I am surprised why all of you are still alive."

"We'll talk about that after I beat you!" 

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The next fights will be Fefnir vs. Burnerman, Zero vs. Yuriskah, and Prometheus and Pandora vs. Aile and Vent.

Some of you may be wondering where the heck I got Yuriskah's name, so I'll tell you. Anyways, I got it from my favorite character in Summon Night, named Ureksa. I decided to change that name a bit, so this is what I got.


	4. Chapter 3: Deep Fried Reploid

Well, I don't think I'll be using Shadowman as one of the Robot Masters, so I don't think that'll work. I don't even know what Crashman and Metalman's attacks are, so that definitely won't work, anyways, enjoy this chapter:

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**Outside Guardian HQ**

"Well seeing as how the two of them are going to fight here, let's go get another area to fight in." Burnerman dashes off with Fefnir on his trail.

"That's fine with me." The two of them move a noticeable distance before Fefnir gets out his twin buster. "Are you working for Model W?" 

"I'm only following Shademan's orders. I don't see a reason we should ally ourselves with Model W." Fefnir fires a blast at Burnerman, but Burnerman moves out of the way and dodges the attack.

"Looks like you like to play with fire as well. In that case, there's no way I can lose!" Burnerman flames come out of Burnerman's arm as he charges at Fefnir. Flames surround his body as he slams into Fefnir, burning his armor and buster.

_He's too fast!_ "I'll rip you apart!" Fefnir separates his twin buster and starts to shoot rapidly around him, causing fire to burst everywhere. Burnerman tries to dodge the attack but one bullet hits him and Fefnir starts to focus his shots at the stunned Burnerman. 

"This fight wasn't even much of a challenge." Fefnir puts away his twin buster. _Guess I overestimated him._

"This isn't over yet!" Burnerman jumps into the air and uses his flames to keep him floating. Burnerman points his arms at Fefnir as they transform and flames come out. "Take this!"

He starts shooting a long wave at Fefnir as Fefnir uses his arm as a shield. _The temperature is too high! I don't know how long I can keep this up._ The flames start to surround Fefnir after he blocks it as Burnerman stops his attack.

"Heh, you're trapped now." Flames start to surround Burnerman. "Burning Jet!" _I'll blast him out of the sky!_ Fefnir fires a charged shot as Burnerman begins to descend, but the flames absorb it and Burnerman continues.

"GO DOWN!" Fefnir continues shooting, but none of the attacks seem to even faze Burnerman. Burnerman descends, covering the whole area in flames and attacking Fefnir, destroying one of his twin busters. 

"Hehehe, looks like you were nothing but talk after all." A bomb forms in Burnerman's hand as he throws it at Fefnir. Fefnir attempts to run, but Burnerman ignites it in mid-air, causing it to release a wave of flames in the area.

"What's the matter? Can't stand the heat?"

"I'll make you regret that!" Fefnir fires at Burnerman with his remaining buster but misses. _I can't hit him. Why can't I hit him!?_ Burnerman transforms his hand into a flamethrower and fires at Fefnir.

_It's no good, I can't dodge this!_ Fefnir gets hit by the stream of flames as Burnerman continues to attack.

"Heh, you don't stand a chance!" Burnerman stops attacking for a moment as the flames on his arms widen. "BURNING JET!"

Burnerman starts to move towards Fefnir but Fefnir stands still. _Now's my only chance to attack, I need to time this right!_ Fefnri feels the heat of Burnerman's flames before he makes his move.

Fefnri sidesteps and grab onto Burnerman's side. "ARGH! LET GO!" Fefnir rams Burnerman against a tree and then gets out his buster. Before he could fire, Burnerman throws another bomb and ignites it. The bomb explodes on both of them, and this time Burnerman takes a bit of damage.

"That was a nice try, but nowhere near good enough to defeat me!" Burnerman jumps into the air as flames surround him.

"We'll just see about that!" Burnerman goes down as Fefnir jumps out of the way. The flames start to spread through the grass, burning Fefnir as Burnerman continues to laugh. _I'm getting tired of this guy! I'll destroy him!_

"Hahaha! I haven't had this much fun in a long time." Another bomb appears in Burnerman's hand as he prepares to throw it. "What!?"

The bomb explodes on Burnerman at close range, knocking him back and damaging even him. Fefnir points his buster at Burnerman again and fires. "Have you forgotten that I could also use flames?/i 

"This isn't over yet!" Burnerman activates his flames to float into the sky. "I'll burn you and this whole place down!" Burnerman points his flamethrower at Fefnir again.

"That isn't going to work on me again!" Fefnir jumps into the air and fires his buster on the ground to give himself more propulsion. He reaches Burnerman as he starts his flame attack.

"I have resistance to heat as well!" Fefnir goes through the flames and grabs onto Burnerman. He throws Burnerman down to the ground and dives after him. Fefnir's right hand starts to glow as he moves down, but Burnerman manages to move out of the way before the attack hits.

_I almost had him that time! Guess this is going to take longer than I thought._ Fefnir attempts to grab Burnerman, but Burnerman dashes through him with a Burning Jet attack. "GAH! That's it!" Fefnir slams the ground with his fist, causing the ground to shake and making Burnerman lose his balance.

Fefnir grabs onto Burnerman and tosses him in the air. He grabs onto him again and slams him into the ground. Fefnir prepares to attack again, but Burnerman lets loose a flamethrower in his face, knocking him back again.

"I've had enough of playing around!" Burnerman absorbs all the flames in the area as it surrounds him. "Let's see you try to stand up again after this attack!" Burnerman dashes at Fefnir, but Fefnir manages to side step the attack.

"Is that all!?" Fefnir looks behind him and sees Burnerman charging at him again. The attack hits, knocking him down. Burnerman repeats this three more times, each time hitting Fefnir, before stopping.

"It looks like this is over." Burnerman flames come out of Burnerman's arm as he raises it up. The flames become more focused, forming a burning blade. "Now prepare to meet your doom!"

Fefnir manages to dodge the attack but stops upon landing. _My legs are too exhausted to move. I think he might have burned a part of my circuits. I won't let him win!_ Burnerman turns toward Fefnir again as he points the tip of his blade to Fefnir's neck. 

"There's nowhere else to run this time, you've backed yourself into a corner." Burnerman raises the blade up, but it starts to wither and completely disappears before disappearing completely. The flames around him start to die out as well. "What!? Out of energy already!? This can't be good."

Fefnir takes his chance and shoots Burnerman with his buster and supporting himself to stand up. "I'll be the one destroying you!"

"Guess I'll take my leave now. Today, you just got very lucky. The next time we meet, I will destroy you!" Burnerman warps out of the area, leaving Fefnir by himself. _Well, I guess I better go search for the others._

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"Oh, you're back. Where's Yuriskah?" Shademan looks to see Burnerman without any of his flames. "I take it that you've used up all your energy…"

"I was one second away from destroying that guy. This won't happen again!" Burnerman then turns to Plantman. "This didn't happen to you in your battle!"

"That's because I was smart and used the energy from the plants. You just wasted all of yours on fancy attacks and look where that got you." 

"Why you!" Shademan steps in to stop the bickering of Plantman and Burnerman.

"Enough! That's the reason why we need the Ciel System. We need a lot of energy to function, more than those reploids. Once we have that in our hands we'll be able to wreak havoc!" Shademan looks at Burnerman again. "So how was the break in?"

"Yuriskah and I have already got all the data we need for the Ciel System, but were held back by some reploids. I was fighting one of them before I ran out of energy, I'm sure that Yuriskah will be here soon." 

"Lord Shademan, are you sure than we can trust Yuriskah?" Plantman had his doubts about him. "He could betray us any time he wishes to the Guardians."

"I doubt it. If he wanted to work with the Guardians, he would've asked them for help instead of taking the trouble to bring us back. Besides, he's planning to cut off all contact with us as soon as he fulfills his part of the bargain and brings us the Ciel System." 

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**Guardian HQ**

"There are so many injured Guardians here." X helps a Guardian up. "The wounds are still fresh, who could've caused this?" Just then a familiar figure appears. "Phantom!?"

"I have no obligation or interest in fighting any of you. Get out of here and let me continue with my duty." Harpuia and Leviathan stand in front of X.

"Is this your duty, to bring about destruction? You were a reploid made to fight for humanity. How could you do this?" Harpuia gets out his blade and it meets Phantom's. _He's a lot stronger than he is before!_

"All those who don't accept Model W as their leader will be destroyed." Phantom starts to fade away as he passes through the floor. "You shouldn't be worried about me right now. You should go and help the chosen ones. They're fighting Prometheus and Pandora right now." 

"Vent and Aile are in trouble, split up and look." Harpuia and Leviathan nod as Ciel looks forward. "You can come with me, Ciel, but run away if things get too dangerous." Ciel nods as X continues thinking. _They were barely able to beat Prometheus and Pandora last time, I just hope that I'm not too late._

X carries Ciel as the two of them dash forward, searching for Vent and Aile.

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The next fight will be Yuriskah and Zero, remember to read and review.


	5. Chapter 4: Yuriskah's Weapon

Yuriskah isn't actually in the game. He's an original character who will serve a very important part in the story later, anyways, here's the next chapter:

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**Outside Guardian HQ**

"So, you're actually serious about wanting to fight. Guess I have no other choice!" Zero charges at Yuriskah and swings his Z-Saber, but Yuriskah dodges the attack. _What!? He's fast enough to avoid the Z-Saber, what is he!?_

"I've been waiting to try my new toy. I've only acquired it yesterday." Yuriskah reaches into his pocket as he gets surrounded by a bright light. "Rock-on!"

His hair transforms into a blond color, leaving only a few streaks of silver. His armor transforms into a darker red color than when Vent and Aile use Model ZX. A green saber appears in his hand and a dark red helmet covers his head. "Let's just see what's stronger, Model ZX or you!"

Yuriskah charges at Zero but Zero puts his saber up as well as the two of them meet. _He's got more fighting experience than the chosen ones, but he said he only acquired the biometals yesterday!_

"Too slow…" Yuriskah gets out his Z-Buster and fires at Zero, knocking him back and Yuriskah follows up with a charged slash at Zero, knocking him back even more. "Is that the best you can do?"

"You wish!" Zero stands back up and brushes the dust off his armor. "You managed to catch me off guard last time. Don't expect to get lucky again!"

Yuriskah raises his saber in the air as Zero dashes toward him. "It's over now!" Yuriskah brings down his saber, launching a sonic wave towards Zero. Zero disappears and reappears behind Yuriskah, slashing at him until Yuriskah turns. Zero disappears again and reappears behind Yuriskah, launching a charged Z-Buster to knock him back.

_Time to end this!_ Zero dashes after Yuriskah and brings down his Z-Saber, but Yuriskah blocks it with his own. "You know that you've backed yourself into a corner! Even you can tell I'm stronger in this situation!" Zero brings his Z-Saber down more to prove his point.

_Just a bit more…_ Yuriskah laughs as his saber transforms into a purple color and his armor green. Another purple saber appears on his left hand and he uses it to slash at Zero, making him lose his balance.

Yuriskah slashes again with his right saber and then launches two shockwaves in an X pattern at Zero. Zero uses his Z-Saber to guard against the attack, but he isn't able to deflect the attack and gets pushed against a tree.

"Plantman didn't just get the data for Model ZX, you know. He managed to retrieve the data for all six biometals, so I created a replication of all six of them." Zero stands back up.

"You're saying that you're nothing but a fake chosen one?"

"The biometals are just a means of fighting until I get what I'm after. Besides, just because it isn't created by Dr. Ciel, doesn't mean it won't work as well. I've made a few improvements, such as being able to transform on the spot." Yuriskah changes back to Model ZX. "I'll just use this form since I want to see the legendary reploid get defeated by his own weapon!"

Yuriskah pauses for a moment. "You're one to talk, Zero. After all, isn't your body nothing but a fake as well?"

"How do you know about that?"

"I know a lot of things, it isn't your business what my source is." Yurikah jumps into the air and goes down on Zero with his Z-Saber. Their two sabers meet, seeming evenly matched. _This isn't enough to defeat me!_ Zero quickly lowers his blade and ducks under Yuriskah's swing.

Zero uses a blazing uppercut to attack Yuriskah and send him up into the sky. He aims his Z-Buster, but Yuriskah's armor changes again and he counters with an electric tornado. _The wind's too strong!_ Yuriskah goes to the center of the tornado without being affected and sends a electric wave at Zero, knocking him out of the gale winds.

"Well, I thought that I'd be able to defeat you using only one biometal, but it seems I underestimated you." Yuriskah takes to the air in his new armor. Yuriskah transforms again into Model FX and descends toward Zero with his fist glowing red.

_There's no way I can block that attack!_ Zero jumps out of the way as Yuriskah's fist touches the ground. A huge explosion of fire engulfs Zero just as Yuriskah's attack makes contact with the ground, knocking him out of the air as Yuriskah transforms back to Model ZX.

_At least I managed to slightly avoid the attack. If he made a direct hit, I would've been done for._ "Well, has the legendary hero finally decided to give up?" Yuriskah starts moving closer.

With one swift movement, Zero dashes off and brings out his Z-Saber, lunging at Yuriskah. The shot connects, piercing some of Yuriskah's armor as electricity comes out. Zero prepares to pierces him even more, but Yuriskah transforms into Model PX and puts up a barrier, knocking Zero back.

"I'll make you pay for that!" Yuriskah dashes at Zero as Zero brings his Z-Saber up. Zero slashes at Yuriskah, but he goes straight through Zero and throws a large shuriken from behind. "DIE!"

Zero sidesteps and grabs onto the shuriken. Zero swiftly spins and throws the shuriken back at Yuriskah, catching him off guard and piercing him in the right shoulder. "I've seen Vent and Aile use all the biometals, you won't be able to catch me off guard that easily!"

"We'll just see about that!" Yuriskah dashes at Zero as Zero braces for the same technique. Yuriskah goes through Zero again and Zero turns, expecting to find a shuriken. _What!?_

Two Z-Sabers appear on Yuriskah's hands as he slashes at Zero, making an X shaped cross on his armor. "How did you…"

"This isn't just a replication of the biometals. I created them to suit my own combat style, so I am able to briefly use the weapons or abilities of other models even when I'm not using them." His two Z-Sabers disappear. "What you saw just then was a combination of Model ZX's and HX's saber."

Zero fires a charged Z-Buster blast at Yuriskah, but he manages to avoid the attack. Zero appears behind Yuriskah in mid air and slashes at him, sending him downwards. Zero follows up with a few shots from his Z-Buster and then a downward stab.

"This isn't over yet…" Zero prepares to bring his Z-Saber down on Yuriskah, but feels a halberd pierce his chest before he manages to reach Yuriskah. Yuriskah's dark purple armor transforms into a light blue color as Zero falls to the ground.

_I didn't want to use this, but…_ "It's over now, Zero…" Yuriskah prepares to bring his Halberd down on Zero, but it breaks from a blast by the Z-Buster. "What!?"

Zero stands back up. His armor is a black color and he brings out his Z-Saber. "This is where it ends, Yuriskah!" Yuriskah stands back up, but Zero appears in front of him and uses the hilt of his saber to bring Yuriskah into the air.

Yuriskah uses Model HX to be suspended in the air, but Zero appears behind him and launches a Z-Buster shot close up. Yuriskah reverts to his original form and attempts to stand back up. He stops while kneeling as Zero puts his Z-Saber against Yuriskah's neck.

"It's over now. If you come with me to Ciel and answer a few questions, then I'll spare you."

"It's not over yet!" Yuriskah reaches into his pocket and draws a purple blade. It isn't as strong as the other blades he used during the fight with Zero, but it gets the job done as he slashes at Zero, making him lose grip on his Z-Saber.

Zero grabs onto his Z-Saber again, but a white light surrounds Yuriskah as he begins to warp out. Zero tries to slash at him, but the white barrier deflects all his attacks.

"What are you after, Yuriskah!?"

"I'm after what everyone else is after, power. Be prepared for the next time we battle, I have no doubt that we'll meet again." Yuriskah disappears with the white light as Zero stands there. His armor begins to revert back to its red color as he moves toward Guardian HQ. _I better go help Ciel and the others for now._

Zero looks at the area where Yuriskah was standing at just a few seconds ago. _He seems to know a lot about me and the others. Where did eh learn all of this!?_ Zero decides to shrug the question off until later and enters Guardian HQ.

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"I trust that you've brought us the designs to the Ciel System?" Yuriskah hands Shademan a chip. Shademan inserts it into the computer as data starts to get on the monitor. "Excellent…"

"Well, seeing as how I've fulfilled my part of the bargain, I'll be taking my leave now." Yuriskah warps out of the area, leaving Shademan and the others.

"Well, would now be a good time to attack, Lord Shademan?" Burnerman looks at the data on the monitor, but Shademan shakes his head, signaling a no.

"We'll need a bit of time to build the Ciel System, and then we'll use its massive supply of energy to build a never ending army!" Shademan and the others start to laugh, but Burnerman decides to bring up a problem.

"During our attack on the Guardians, there was another group there as well. What are we going to do about Model W and his group?" Shademan thinks the question over for a moment.

"How many were there?"

"Only three reploids, but they are very powerful. Two of them are pretty even when it comes to power, but I can't tell how strong the other one is."

"If that's the case, then we'll continue with our plans once the Ciel System is finished. It doesn't matter how strong they are once our plans begin."

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Remember to read and review.


	6. Chapter 5: Tag Team

Thanks for the reviews so far. As for SpartanCommander's question, I'm new to fanfiction dot net, so I don't know how you sent the website. If you can explain to me, that would be nice, and if you sent it to my email address, you should try sending it again since I deleted everything on site the other day to make more room.

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**Guardian HQ**

"What are you two after this time!?" Aile looks at Vent as he gets out Model Z and Model X.

"What we're always after, except this time. You can't stop us!" Prometheus gets out his scythe and charges at Vent.

"Rock-on!" Vent and Aile both change into Model ZX and they jump in separate ways to dodge Prometheus's attack. Prometheus pauses for a moment before following up with his whirlwind attack, hitting Aile and sending her on the ground.

"Aile!" Vent goes up to her, but feels the weight of an ice jar crushing his back as he looks behind him to find Pandora.

"Have you forgotten that it's two on one?" Prometheus appears again and slashes at Vent. Vent manages to jump out of the way before Prometheus follows with his whirlwind attack, but Pandora fires her electric snakes while Vent is in mid-air.

_I can't take them on alone…_ Prometheus charges at Vent again, but Aile stands up and fires her ZX Buster, stopping his attack. "Now, Vent!"

Vent gets out his ZX Saber and slashes at Prometheus, but he teleports away before the attack hits. _He's gone for now…_ Pandora appears and Aile goes after her. Pandora raises her halberd and summons four electric snakes. All four of them hit Aile.

Vent goes after her, but Prometheus appears and executes his whirlwind attack, knocking down Vent as well. "Well, look like the chosen ones have really let themselves go since our last battle."

"I was actually hoping for a challenge." Pandora warps next to Prometheus. "Looks you only won last time because of luck." 

"Don't underestimate us…" Aile stands back up again and Vent does the same. _It's going to be difficult changing Biometals like this._ "Vent, hand me Model H."

"Alright, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to try to Rock-on alone." Vent reluctantly hands her the biometal. "Don't worry. Nobody ever said we couldn't try." 

"Right now isn't a good time to try your luck." Prometheus charges at Vent and Aile as they revert to human form.

"On my signal." Aile raises Model H in front of her as Vent raises Model Z and X. "Rock-on!" Aile gets surrounded in green armor as Vent gets surrounded in red armor.

"I don't see what the point of that is!" Prometheus slashes as Vent dashes out of the way. Vent slashes back to briefly stun Prometheus for a moment. Aile grabs onto Vent and activates her jets to carry them both to safety as Prometheus unleashes his hurricane.

"Thanks, I owe you one." Vent gets hit by two electric snakes from behind and the same happens to Aile. They both turn to find Pandora standing there with her halberd raised.

"You shouldn't let your guard down in battle." Pandora charges down towards them as she brings down her halberd. Aile raises both her wind sabers to block Pandora's attack. Vent starts to charge up his buster, but both of them get hit from behind by Prometheus.

_They're working too well as a team. We need to do the same in order to beat them…_ Aile looks at Vent. "You lookout for Prometheus and I'll do that for Pandora." Vent nods to show his approval as the Pandora and Prometheus warps out.

The two of them stand back to back to get a view in every direction. "There he is!" Vent points to the center of the room as the two of them separate. Prometheus calls out four purple spirits and they separate in an X pattern.

Aile and Vent destroy the two lower spirits as the two upper ones start firing dark energy at them. The two of them attack Prometheus from both sides before focusing on dodging the attacks.

"Behind you, Vent!" Pandora summons her ice jar as Vent ducks. _I need to help him!_ Aile activates her thrusters and charge at the snowman. She brings out both her wind sabers and stops the ice jar.

"It's over!" Prometheus appears as Pandora warps out. He charges and brings his scythe up as Vent tries to stop him. Prometheus sends out an energy wave at Vent, causing him to crash into Aile.

Aile loses her grip on the wind sabers, unleashing the ice jar on the two of them as they get crushed. Prometheus follows up by dashing and unleashing his whirlwind attack again. _We can't take this much longer, we're barely fending off their attacks!_

Vent helps Aile up as Prometheus warps out. "You alright?" Aile grabs onto Vent and tosses him to the other side as an electric snake crashes onto where Vent was.

"Well, looks like you two are getting a bit better." Pandora releases two parts from her helmet. She teleports out of the way as one part starts to fire ice missiles while the other fires electric orbs. 

Vent goes next to Aile as an Ice Missile is about to hit her. He uses the ZX Saber to slash at it and any other incoming objects. Vent misses an ice missile and it starts to go towards Aile. Vent dives in the way and takes the attack.

"Vent!" Vent falls down as Aile tries to bring him up. "Why did you take that shot for me?"

"We need to help each other, since we're teammates." Vent stands back up with Aile's help, but her eyes widen as she throws Vent in the air as Prometheus comes crashing down, sending four flames.

Aile gets hit by the attack, but Vent is safely in the air as he slides down the wall. "Aile!"

"Hehehe, looks like the two chosen ones are almost done for." Vent and Aile stand back up again, panting heavily as Pandora appears again. "Let's finish them off now!"

"Rock-on!" Vent changes to Model FX as Aile changes to Model LX. Prometheus swings his scythe at Vent, but he ducks under and punches Prometheus, sending him backwards. Pandora floats upwards and fires four electric snakes at Aile.

Aile raises her halberd and launches an ice dragon. The ice dragon seems to just absorb the electric snakes as spark comes out of its body. It hits Pandora, knocking her down from the air.

"We'll make the two of you pay for that!" Prometheus stands up again, clutching the pain in his chest as Vent fires from his two busters. Prometheus dodges most of the attacks, but Aile twirls her halberd as Prometheus gets close, knocking him back. Vent follows up by firing with his two busters.

Pandora prepares to fire her ice jar at the two of them but stops. "Enough!" Phantom appears behind both Vent and Aile as their eyes widen. They clutch their chest in pain as blood comes out and their armor disappear.

"This is taking far too long. I'm ending this battle right now!" Phantom raises his shuriken and prepares to fire.

"We could have taken them on by ourselves!" Prometheus starts to protest, but Phantom keeps the shuriken aimed at them.

"We're running out of time, the others will be here soon to help them." Phantom raises his arm, but a large blue buster shot knocks the shuriken out.

"It's too late, Phantom, we're already here." X, Ciel, Harpuia, and Leviathan appear. Phantom signals Prometheus and Pandora to leave, but Fefnir and Zero block the other path.

"You're surrounded. It ends here, Phantom!" Zero raises his Z-Saber and prepares to slash at the three of them, but Phantom raises his hands as a black barrier surrounds them.

"It looks like the heroes are back. Don't worry, Zero, I'm sure we'll meet again. For now, the three of us will be leaving." The black barrier teleports out with all three of them as Prairie enters. 

"Vent, Aile, are you two alright?" Prairie stops as she bumps into Ciel. "Sis, you're okay!" Prairie hugs Ciel as tears come out of her eyes. "I thought I lost all of you back then, what happened?" 

"I miss you too, Prairie." Ciel looks at the two injured humans on the ground. "Let's get them to the medic wing, and then I'll explain everything to all of you." 

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"So the Biometals were designed after all six of you?" Vent looks at the six reploids in front of him and they all nod.

"I guess that explains why the Biometals stopped talking to us…" Aile looks at Prairie worriedly. "Does this mean that we're fired?"

"Why would you think that?"

"We weren't even able to defeat Prometheus and Pandora today, and now the six of them are back. I'm sure that they could do a lot better than us." Prairie hugs Aile for a moment.

"If you don't want to fight, that's fine, but you'll always be welcome to stay here if you have nowhere else to go." Prairie looks at the seven newcomers for a moment. "We need to talk about room arrangements, we only have five more.

"Well, I guess I'll go in the same room as you." Ciel looks at Prairie. 

"We get our own rooms!" Leviathan, Fefnir, and Harpuia all say in unison as Zero and x stares at each other.

"There's no way I'm going to sleep in the same room as him again!" They both point at each other, trying to avoid it.

"Zero snores when he goes to sleep!"

"You wake up at six o'clock in the morning! If I got a bit more sleep, maybe I wouldn't snore as loudly."

"Why don't you just turn yourself off? You're a reploid, you don't have to sleep."

"The same goes for you!"

"Well, I don't want to!"

"Me neither!" In the end, Ciel and Prairie had to drag Zero and X to their rooms and lock the door as Vent and Aile watched the two bickering reploids.

"Are they always like that?"

"It's been that way for one hundred years, you better get used to it." Prairie sighs as everyone else retreat to their rooms. "Since the six of them are here, I'll allow you two to go on vacation for a day. Wander Innerpeace, go shopping, or watch movies, whatever you want to do." Prairie reaches for her pocket and pulls out a wallet. 

She hands it to Aile as Vent protests. "Don't I get a share?" 

"You two can share, but I only trust Aile to be in charge of the money." One of those waves in anime to show that characters are sad appears on Vent's head as Aile laughs at him.

"Well, you two should enjoy and relax a bit once in a while. I'll show sis and the others around Innerpeace." 

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"We could have killed the chosen ones right there!" Prometheus protests as Phantom stops him.

"If we did that, we would've risked getting killed ourselves. We're back, Model W. We've damaged their headquarters, but Zero and the others are back."

"Did you succeed in eliminating the chosen ones?"

"Zero and the others got in the way."

"I see… Oh well, I'd like all three of you to meet your new teammate." The three of them turn to find a silver haired humanoid. 

"You're kidding right? He doesn't even look like he could fight!" Prometheus dives at the humanoid, but gets stopped when a green saber blocks his path. "What!? A biometal?"

"Yuriskah created his own copies of the biometals and can prove to be valuable in the future." Prometheus stands back as Model W continues to explain. "Yuriskah worked with a group who is after world domination just as us. Now continue telling me about this group." 

"There are six of them in total, including their leader Shademan. They were after the Ciel System, so I helped them with their task. I don't know why they're after it."

"I see…"

"What should we do about it, Model W?" Phantom sharpens his katana, wiping the blood of Aile and Vent off.

"We'll continue with our plans and see how much of a threat they pose. I'm sure that the Guardians will be able to take care of them." 

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I came up with the part at the end while starting the chapter. I originally wanted Yuriskah to work alone, but decided to change that. I guess we'll see how everything developes.


	7. Chapter 6: Vent and Aile's Day Out

Well, for RandyPandy's question. If you're referring to when Prairie said those six, it includes the five reploids and Ciel, otherwise, it would include Phantom.

As for ??, Ciel also has those ears, so it's pretty safe to assume that they could still be human. Even if they are reploids, (Though I'm pretty sure they're not) let's just say that they're human in the story.

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**Innerpeace**

"Alright, so I'll leave you two alone for now. Meet us back here in three hours." Prairie and the others walk off as Vent looks around the town.

"What do you want to do first, Aile?" Aile looks around and spots an arcade. Aile grabs Vent and drags him to the arcade. She goes up to the counter and buys eight tokens, four for each of them.

"What do you want to do first?" Vent looks around and finds a shooting game.

"How about that?"

"Sure." The two of them walk up to it and insert their coins. They each grab their respective guns and point it at the screen. The go sign appears and they start shooting at every enemy in sight.

Some people gather around as they watch the scores go up. Vent has better accuracy than Aile, but Aile is faster at shooting and reloading. Aile easily takes the lead as the others start to watch them.

The scores go up and none of them even get hit once. Aile has way more points than Vent as they keep on shooting. In the end, they beat the high score in half the time as the tickets start to come out. 

"Well, where do you want to go next?" Aile looks around some more.

"Hey, let's go there!" Vent notices two people dancing on a panel with arrows as arrows appear on the screen. _They seem to be dancing to the arrows, guess it can't be too hard._

The two of them wait their turn until the other two are finished. They get on and choose a novice song and wait. The song starts to play and the two chosen ones start to dance to it.

At first, it starts off slow and they had no problems after training in combat. The song starts to get faster and they both the first few arrows. After a while, they got the hang of it.

The song starts to get even faster and Vent starts to miss frequently. Aile manages to get a bit more than Vent because of her clothing and height. Vent is wearing pants while Aile wears shorts, giving her more flexibility.

In the end, Vent loses again and sighs. "Well, what should we do now?" 

"I don't know, let's just try our luck with those and get some tickets." Vent and Aile manage to get extremely lucky, getting the highest possible number of tickets for each game. They go up to the counter and looks at the different prizes.

"What should we get?" Aile looks around, but finds nothing interesting. _Most of these things are for younger kids…_

"We'll take that." Aile points to a black stuffed cat.

"That's the last one we have, alright, here you go." The employee gets out the stuff animal and hands it to Aile. The two of them walk out as Vent stares at Aile with the stuffed animal in her arms.

"Why did you decide to get that?"

"To give it to Prairie, she took us in when we needed help and paid for this in the first place." Aile looks forward. "Wait here, Vent, I'm going to get something."

"Alright." 

After fifteen minutes, Vent is still standing outside. _What's taking her so long? I wondering what she's trying to do._

Aile comes back with two bars of ice cream. "The line-up was pretty long, sorry to keep you waiting. I hope you like chocolate, Vent, because I got that flavor for you."

"Thanks." Vent takes the ice cream and takes the wrapping out as he watches Aile bite down on her vanilla flavored ice cream. Vent eats his and continues staring at Aile blissfully sucking on her ice cream.

They both finish at the same time and Aile looks at Vent. "What are you staring at?" She asks in a very innocent tone of voice. Vent gulps. _She noticed me the whole time?_

"You got a little bit… of um… vanilla on your lips." Aile playfully raises her hand and uses the tip of her finger to get it off. She raises her finger to her lips and licks the vanilla off.

"Why are you still staring at me like that?" Vent starts to blush as he realizes what he was doing. _I just can't keep my eyes off her. She just looks so…_ Vent's eyes open wide as Aile brings her lips onto his cheeks.

"Wha…" 

"Wasn't that the reason you kept staring at my lips?" Vent starts to blush a lot as Aile laughs. They pause for a second as they stare into each others eyes. _The sun's reflection makes her eyes seem as green as emeralds._

_I wonder if his lips taste like chocolate now. I guess there's only one way to find out._ The two of them bring their head a bit closer as they get lost in each other's eyes. Aile puts her hands behind Vent's head as she pulls him towards her.

A few humans run past them as one turns around. "Run away… a reploid… is attacking… the area!" The man continues running as everyone else clears the area.

"Let me take care of it." Vent takes out the biometals.

"I'll go and help you." Vent stops her and shakes his head.

"This shouldn't ruin the vacation for all of us. I'm sure I can take care of it by myself." Vent prepares to leave as Aile stares at him.

"Alright, but please be careful."

"I will." Aile looks at Vent leave as she remembers just how close they were to kissing moments before. _I guess I can't deny it any longer. I've been strange around Vent for the last couple of days, and just then, I knew that I had fallen in love with him. The question is, does he feel the same way?_

Aile sees an explosion in the area that Vent is going. _Please don't die, Vent. I can't imagine losing you as well. Please, don't end up like boss…_

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"… and that's how Vent and Aile came to be with us. The two of them didn't have any way of supporting themselves when they were forced to kill Girouette." Prairie sighs as she remembers Girouette, a former Guardian.

"Wait, did you just say Girouette?"

"Yes, why?"

"I was the one who created him…" Ciel thinks back to the discovery of Model W. "Because of me, he had to endure being manipulated by Model W." Ciel starts to cry a bit. "Everything is all my fault, first Copy X, and then Girouette."

"It's not your fault in any way, Ciel. I'm sure that if you hadn't done what you did, the world would be in a worse shape than it is now. Besides, I'm sure Girouette died happily knowing that he didn't cause harm to anyone…"

"Zero's right, sis, you should cheer up a bit." Zero puts a comforting hand on Ciel's shoulder as she wipes the tears off.

"Thanks, you two. That really means a lot to me."

"Hey, Harpy, what's wrong?" Leviathan looks at Harpuia's serious expression as he looks ahead.

"There's some sort of commotion going on in that area, we need to check it out!" Harpuia flies into the air to get a closer look. A small explosion is seen to the others as they start to head for the area. 

"Come on, we have to hurry!" 

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"Phantom! What are you doing here?" Vent gets out Model X and Z as he prepares for battle. _This isn't good I can't take him on by myself! Still, I won't let him hurt anyone!_

Phantom charges at Vent with something red in his hand. Vent doesn't get a good look at it before Phantom slams him. Vent gets sent knocked back as Phantom smirks. "If that's the best that you can do, then I suggest you quit now."

"Rock-on!" Vent transforms into Model ZX and charges at Phantom. Phantom disappears before Vent could hit him and reappears to throws a huge shuriken from behind Vent. Vent's armor gets pierced from the attack and Phantom grabs his katana and slashes at him, damaging Vent.

_I have to buy some time for everyone to escape!_ Phantom brings down his katana again, but Vent uses his ZX Saber to block it. _He's too strong!_

"Do you finally realize what you're lacking, hero?" Phantom brings his katana down, shattering the ZX Saber. "You're weak, and no matter what you do, you cant' change that!"

Phantom grabs onto Vent's neck with his hand. Vent tries to pry Phantom's grip lose with his own hands, but nothing works.

_I can't take much more of this… Is this, where I die?_ Vent reverts back to his human form as he struggles to breath. Phantom throws Vent against a nearby building as he raises his katana. 

"Pity you won't live long enough to see when Model W rules the world. Oh well, I guess some things can't be helped." Phantom moves in front of Vent as he tries to bring himself up.

_I can't die like this…_ "NOVA STRIKE!" A large fiery attack gets in front of Vent as Phantom jumps out of the way.

"We won't let you do any more harm here, Phantom, leave immediately!" X raises his buster as the others surround Phantom. Phantom starts to laugh.

"Everything has gone according to Model W's plans after all."

"What do you mean?" Zero tightens his grip on the saber as Phantom continues to laugh.

"Model W has thought everything over already. He knew that one of the chosen ones will try and stop me. That's why he sent Yuriskah to take care of the other one."

"Aile!" Vent coughs out blood as he gets up.

"That's right. All of you made it easier." Phantom looks at X and the others, "The five of you helped by going after me." Phantom turns his gaze to Vent. "If you didn't leave your friend alone and defenseless, she might have survived."

Everyone quickly turns as an explosion is heard in the distance. Phantom laughs at their looks of confusion. "Guess this means Yuriskah finished his job, I'll be leaving now."

"Stop!" Zero tries to go after the ninja reploid, but Ciel stops him. She motions to Vent as Zero stops. Zero motions for Vent to get on his back as all of them go to the area of the explosion. 

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"AILE!" Vent rushes up to the unconscious figure of his friend. Cuts are everywhere on her body and the sound of her shallow breathing is the only thing that signals she is still alive. A huge pool of blood is next to her body as Prairie quickly calls a first aid troop from Guardian HQ.

Vent to the body of Aile as a bunch of Guardians put Aile on a stretcher and gets her back to Guardian HQ. Everyone is silent as Vent turns to Ciel and Prairie.

"She's not going to live, is she?"

"Judging from the looks of it, I'd have to say no." Ciel looks down to the ground as the clouds start to darken and thunder strikes the ground. 

"I'm sorry… Vent…" Prairie tries to comfort Vent as he turns to leave. She tries to go after him but X and Zero stop her.

"He needs time to think. No one can ever fully recover from a shock like this." Zero looks at Vent leaving. "Believe me. I know what he's going through."

"I guess you're right… Let's go back." All seven of them start to leave to head back to Guardian HQ as they watch Vent walk on. It takes only a few minutes to ruin what would otherwise have been a perfect day… 

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So, what do you guys think? Pretty dramatic at the end, huh? Anyways, remember to read and review!


	8. Chapter 7: Never Alone

As for SpartanCommander's question, I'm checking it out right now. Anyways, here's the next chapter for you guys to enjoy:

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**Amusement Park**

Vent continues running until he runs out of breath. He looks around and notices the familiar surroundings. _This is the spot… where our moms died…_

_Everyone's left me… first mom… then Giro… and now Aile…_ Vent slams his fist against the ground. _Even with the biometals, I am powerless. Nothings changed at all since the defeat of Serpent. I still can't protect the people I care about!_

Tears start to mix with the rain as Vent starts crying. _I haven't since the death of my parents. I didn't even cry during Giro's death, but Aile's always been there for me. I can't do this anymore, I don't want to see anyone else die…_

**-----Flashback-----**

"Come on, mommy, let's go over there!" A very young boy runs forward with his mom panting behind him.

"Slow down, Vent. I can barely keep up with you." Vent looks around and finds a girl, about his own age, sitting on a bench by herself. 

"Hey, my name's Vent. What's your name?" The girl turns and notices him. She turns away and doesn't answer. "Hello?"

"My mommy said to not to talk to any strangers while she's gone." The girl continues to ignore Vent as his mother comes to talk to the girl.

"You don't need to worry about him. Now tell me, what's your name? You don't have to answer if you feel like it." Aile quickly faces Vent's mom and answers without hesitation.

"My name is Aile."

"Hey, how come you didn't answer me?" Vetn pouts as his mom laughs playfully. Another woman comes up to the bench and hands Aile some chocolate.

"Sorry that it took so long, Aile. The lineup was longer than I expected." She looks around and notices the other two people. "Are these your new friends, Aile?"

"I suppose so."

"Well, I guess they seem nice enough." Aile's mom starts talking to Vent's mom as Vent starts to fidget nervously, thinking of something to say.

"So, Aile… what do you want to do?" Aile continues slowly nibbling her chocolate as Vent stares at her.

"Want some?"

"But you already bit it… Mommy said if I eat something someone else already bit, I'll get sick." Aile takes the chocolate bar and splits it in half. She gives the other half to Vent as she continues eating.

"Is it ok now?"

"Yeah, I think so…" Vent takes the chocolate and eats it. "Thanks." Suddenly a bomb drops just in front of the four of them as Vent's and Aile's moms grab the two of them and start running.

"What's happening, mommy?" Neither of the two of them has ever experienced anything like this and is confused.

"I'll explain later, we need to keep on running." The four of them run into a dead end. "Hurry, hide behind that bush and don't come out!"

Aile and Vent slowly go behind the bush just as a purple reploid comes into view. Both their eyes widen as the purple reploid approaches their moms.

"Where are the two kids with you? I could have sworn I saw them with you just a second ago." Both of them spread their hands out defensively.

"We don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine, guess I'll just have to kill the two of you instead." Vent and Aile's eyes widen in horror as they watch the purple reploid toss a bomb and hear the screams of pain from their mothers. Tears come out of their eyes as the area becomes engulfed in flames. The heat of the flames causes the two of them to faint as their eyes close. 

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"Are you two okay?" Vent opens his eyes to find a blond guy with glasses in front of him. He immediately sits up.

"Where's mommy, what happened to mommy?" The blond guy slowly looks down, thinking of a way to break it to a small kid.

"You two were the only survivors in the area…" Vent looks behind him to see Aile up and crying. Vent starts to cry as well as realization dawned on him.

"If it makes it any easier, the two of you can come and stay in my place…" Aile starts to slowly wipe the tears out of her eyes as she looks at the blond.

"What's your name?"

"You can just call me Girouette."

**-----End Flashback-----**

_Everyone I ever cared about is gone now… Aile was always with me ever since that day. I've had enough of death, I'm going to quit the Guardians._ Vent reaches into his pocket and gets a red biometal. 

_I've had enough of this!_ Vent prepares to slam the thing on the ground before he realizes something. _This isn't Model Z…._

"If you stay in the rain like that, you're going to catch a cold." Vent hears the figure approaching from behind him and looks up to find an umbrella shielding him from the rain.

"Just leave me alone! You don't understand what it's like for me to lose Aile. We've been together for so long…" Tears start to come out of Vent's eyes at an even faster rate. _Oh great, now they'll think I'm a baby…_

"I didn't know you cared so much, Vent." Vent starts to snap at hearing the voice.

"How can you be so…" Vent stops as he gets a closer look at the figure behind him. "Aile!? But how!?"

"Come on, Vent, we need to go back." Vent looks at Aile and notices the cuts are still on her body, but it doesn't seem as bad anymore. Vent wipes the tears away from his eyes and the two of them head back to Guardian HQ. 

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**Guardian HQ**

"Don't take off like that again, Aile. We were all very worried about you." Prairie looks behind Aile, "So you brought Vent back."

"Wait, how is Aile even still alive?" Ciel turns from her work on the computer to answer Vent's question.

"As it turns out, the damages were not as bad as they had seemed. In fact, Aile will make a full recovery in about a day. All the cuts are non vital and more for show than damage. I guess she got very lucky." 

"Something's been bothering me." Zero turns to Aile. "What exactly happened back then? I fought Yuriskah, and he didn't seem like the type that would make these kind of mistakes."

"Well… I'll try to tell you what I remember…"

**-----Flashback-----**

Aile waits outside as she looks to the distance. _Be careful, Vent._ Aile quickly jumps to the side as the building behind her bursts in flames and people start running out.

_What's happening!?_

"Help! My baby is still in there!" Aile turns to find a woman.

"Where?" 

"He's in the kids clothing section in the store. Please rescue him…" Aile runs into the scorching store. _Where is he?_

Sweat trickles down Aile's face as she tries to look straight. Aile hears the sound of crying and follows it to find a baby. _There!_

"It's okay. I've come to help you." The baby continues to cry as Aile gently removes him from his crib. She starts to rock the baby and he quiets down a bit._I need to get out!_ Sweat continues to trickle down her face as she looks at the exit. _It's been blocked shut!_

"Well, looks like the chosen one still wants to play the hero even though she has no biometals." Aile looks behind her to find a human figure with silver hair.

"Who are you?" Aile goes down to her knees at the intensity of the heat. _Come on, open up!_ Aile slams the door with her free hand as she holds onto the baby with her other one.

"Zero didn't tell you about me? Well, I'm Yuriskah, now a servant to Model W." Yuriskah chuckles as Aile desperately slams on the door. "Seeing as I'm in a good mood today, I'll give you a minute to try and escape."

Aile slams the door one more time and pushes it open. She runs and hands the baby to its mother. "Here you go, now run!"

"Thank you." The woman holds her baby with both her hands as Aile warns the others to get out. _Come on, Vent, I really need your help right now._

"Your time is up!" Yuriskah appears in front of Aile as she tries to run. "You've had your chance, I'm coming after you whether you like it or not!"

_There's no way I can take him on without the biometals. I'm not even sure I can beat him with them!_ "I won't let you pass here, Yuriskah, even if I have to fight you without the biometals!"

"There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity. You've just crossed the line." Yuriskah gets out a blade from his pocket. "Seeing as how you're unarmed, I guess I won't use the biometals."

Aile grabs a nearby pipe on the ground and swings it at Yuriskah. Yuriskah raises his hand up and deflects the attack. He swings out his blade and cuts the pipe in half and slashes at Aile.

Aile goes down to the ground as a pool of blood appears next to her. _I guess this is where I die. I'm sorry, Vent, I won't be able to help you._

"Rock-on!" was the last thing Aile heard before fainting.

(Note: Aile is not telling the rest of this, this is just so you people know what happened.)

"Hmpf, seeing as how you were so brave and everything, I guess I'll allow you one more chance at living." Yuriskah points his ZX Buster away from Aile and starts shooting at the unoccupied buildings.

"That should cause enough of a scene. Now, Aile, are you going to take the chance at life that I decided to give you?" Yuriskah teleports away, leaving the unconscious Aile on the ground.

**-----End Flashback-----**

"That was the last thing I remembered before fainting…"

"What's wrong, Zero?" Ciel notices the look of concentration on Zero's face.

"Nothing, something just doesn't seem right. If Yuriskah was ordered by Model W to kill Aile, he could have easily done it right then."

"Who knows? Maybe he isn't under the control of Model W." X thinks about it. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that he isn't being controlled by Model W now that I think about it."

"Yeah, but what is he after?" Vent turns to Aile as she starts to slowly close her eyes.

"I promise, Aile, I'm not leaving you again." Aile smiles as she closes her eyes. Vent looks at the others. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes, she's just resting right now." Ciel pauses for a moment. "Oh, by the way, can you give me Model X for a while? I'll repair it and make a copy for Aile so the two of you can Rock-on separately. 

"Alright," Vent takes out Model X and hands it to Ciel and she leaves to start working on it. "What should I do now, commander?"

"You should go to your room and rest as well, I'm sure that Aile will be okay by tomorrow." Vent leaves the room with the others, leaving only Prairie and Aile in the room. Aile slowly starts to open her eyes.

"Prairie…" 

"What is it, Aile? You should be resting right now." Aile slowly reaches under her jacket and pulls out a black stuffed cat.

"I got this for you." Aile closes her eyes again as Prairie looks at it carefully. _Black, huh? This almost has a small resemblance to Forte…_

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"Model W, it seems that Aile has somehow recovered from the attack." Phantom walks into the room.

"Well, it seems that I underestimated her." Yuriskah heads for the exit. "I'll be back in a few hours, tell me if you need me." Yuriskah warps out via the trans server.

"Well, Phantom, did you deliver Model O to Vent?"

"Yes, I managed to sneak it on him during our fight."

"I don't get it, Model W. Why go through all that trouble just to make the chosen one stronger?" Model W chuckles a bit.

"Trust me, Prometheus, once Vent activates Model O against Shademan and the others, it'll solve both our problems. If you're really curious, then you can go and see once he activates it."

"If you say so…" 

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School starts again for me tomorrow, so I won't be able to update as regularly as I do now. Anyways, remember to read and review.


	9. Chapter 8: Shademan's Attack

Well, I've finally decided on the five Robot Masters that will be in Shademan's gang. Anyways, here's the next chapter for you guys to enjoy:

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**Guardian HQ**

"Get up, Zero!" X shakes at the bundle in the bed and is rewarded with a groan. "Come on, get up already!"

"Go away, X." X sees the figure of Zero facing the wall as he looks carefully at the blanket. "It's still in the morning."

X thinks for a moment. "Ciel's still working on the biometals. Don't you want to keep her company?" Zero groans again as blond hair slowly starts to emerge from the blanket. Zero pokes his head out and rubs his eyes.

"Fine, just give me a moment in the bathroom."

"Hey! I need to…" Zero slams the door in X's face as he gets out the comb. X starts slamming on the door as Zero ignores him. After a few minutes, the banging on the door stops and Zero turns on the water. 

"Open up the door! We're supposed to be sharing a bathroom!" Zero puts his hair under the running water and enters a combination on a lock. The lock opens and Zero reaches in to pull out his shampoo.

"Don't make me blast the door down!"

"I'd like to see you explain to the others." Zero unscrews the lid and scoops up some of the shampoo with his hand. He applies the mixture on his hair and starts to rub it in as the hot water pours down his hair.

After finishing his treatment, Zero puts a towel around his hair to dry it off. Zero looks at the door in surprise as it comes down with a kick from X. "Get out, now!"

X grabs onto Zero's collar and throws him out of the washroom. X puts the broken door up and transforms his hand into a buster as he slowly tries to make it stick to the wall.

"Fine, you don't have to be so snippy about it." Zero throws the towel off and his helmet appears on his head. "You should take better care of your hair." Zero points at X's unruly black hair and leaves the room, barely dodging a plasma shot from X's buster. 

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"Any luck on the biometals?" Ciel turns to find the figure of Zero standing in her room. Zero looks around. "Where's Prairie?" 

"She went to visit Aile to make sure she's okay." Ciel presses a few more keys on the computer. "Alright, I'm done." Ciel leaves the room and Zero follows. The two of them go to the hallway as Ciel gets a cup of coffee from the coffee machine.

"You pulled another all-nighter again, didn't you?" Zero looks at the bags under Ciel's eyes. Ciel starts to doze off as she drinks her coffee. "I'll just take that as a yes."

"I'm sorry. It's just that so many things have happened so far. I just can't seem to be able to sleep at times like these." Ciel feels Zero's hands on her shoulders. "What are you doing!?"

"Just relax. I'll help you if you can't rest." Zero carries Ciel to her bed and starts to massage her back, helping her relieve stress. 

"Where'd you learn to do this, Zero?"

"I used that on X a few times while he wasn't paying attention to put him to sleep. Of course when he woke up, he'd find something out of place." Ciel immediately sits up, but Zero gently pushes her down. "Relax. I won't try anything like that."

Ciel's eyes start to slowly close as Zero continues. Before long, quiet snoozes start to form from Ciel's lips as Zero looks at her. "Don't worry about anything, Ciel. I'll take care of it." Zero plants a kiss on Ciel's forehead before sitting on her chair and watching her.

_Stupid X, waking me up early in the morning. Guess I might as well get some rest too._ Zero's helmet turn into a white light and warps out of the room as eh dozes off on Ciel's desk. 

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Zero's eyes open as the door starts to creak. "Oh, it's just you three." Prairie inspects the room to find Ciel on the bed and Zero with his head on her desk. "Glad to see you're alright, Aile."

"What are you doing here this early?"

"X woke me up, so I decided to pay a visit." Zero notices Vent and Aile's eyes wandering the room. "The biometals are right over there."

Zero points to where Ciel was working and the two chosen ones go there. 

"Uhh… which Model X is real?"

"They're both created by the same person. I'm sure there's no real difference, so just pick one." Vent and Aile shrug as they pick up a Model X. The intercom starts to blare, waking up Ciel.

"Attention all units, six intruders have been detected in the premises! Get in your defense post immediately!" Zero, Vent, and Aile rush out of the room as Zero summons his helmet. 

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"Who did this!?" Vent and Aile start to shake at seeing blood splattered all over the floor. X, Harpuia, Leviathan, and Fefnir appear from behind them.

"Looks like we're already too late," Prairie and Ciel appear as well with reinforcements just as Harpuia finishes talking.

"Get everyone to the medic wing immediately!" The soldiers nod at Prairie's order and they all start to drag their fallen comrades. 

"Well, that was a nice warm-up."

"Burnerman!" Fefnir looks at the red reploid as he appears.

"So you're the one behind this!" Leviathan charges at the red reploid and prepares to swing her halberd, but vines shoot out from the ground, stopping her movements. "What?"

"You shouldn't rush into battle without counting the number of opponents first." The ground seems to open up as Plantman enters. "I guess I'll just take the girl on."

Harpuia flies into the air as a huge shard of ice emerges from the ground. The ice shatters, revealing another figure. The figure wears white and light blue armor, with crystal shards designing his armor.

"You can just call me Freezeman. I'll be the one to fight you." Zero jumps out of the way as a large metal blade slices through the ground. X and Zero turn back to back and jump as the ground below them explodes.

"Well, guess I'll just take the one in red." A bulky red and black reploid appears. Two metal blades seem to attach his arms to his body and he holds two metal blades in his hands. "Just call me Metalman."

"In that case, I'll take care of the other one." Another figure appears, this time a red oen with drills as arms. "You can call me Crashman."

"Where's the other one?" Vent and Aile look around as bats start to surround them. They manage to separate and jump out of the way as the bats form together. "SHADEMAN!"

"Glad to see that you remember me. I'll be taking both of you on!" Vent and Aile dig into their pockets to retrieve their newly repaired biometals.

"Rock-on!" The two of them transform into blue figures as Vent raises his buster at Shademan. "Haven't been like this in a while, hope I still remember what to do."

"We need to be careful. Shademan is possibly the most powerful foe we've ever faced." Shademan reveals his wings and laughs.

"Crush Noise!" 

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_He's a lot stronger than last time!_ Fefnir dodges another stream of flames and counters with a blast from his twin buster. Burnerman just raises his hand up and absorbs the blast.

"You might have stood a chance the last time we fought, but you certainly don't stand a chance now!" Burnerman raises his hand up and fires another stream of flames at Fefnir, knocking him down.

"Heheheh, BURN!" Flames start to surround Burnerman as he charges at Fefnir, knocking him back. _I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up. This isn't good…_

Plantman slams his arm into the ground as vines start to come out under Leviathan's feet. Leviathan jumps into the air and charges at Plantman as the vines follow her. _I need to get closer to him! Just a bit more…_

"Heh!" _What!?_ Plantman's tail launches at Leviathan, knocking her back into the vines following her. The vines bring her down to the ground and cover her completely. "That wasn't a very smart move. Now prepare to pay the price!"

The vines start to freeze as Leviathan jabs her staff through it. "It's already too late!" Plantman's arm transforms into a vine spear as he charges at Leviathan. Leviathan steps out of the way but the spear pierces the side of her armor, cutting off a huge chunk of her armor. 

_I need to focus…_ Leviathan puts her hands down on the ground as she starts to pant. _It's no good, that attack did too much damage on me._ Leviathan manages to stand up again as Plantman laughs.

"Guess I'll have to end this right now." Plantman thrusts his arms and tail into the ground as a large wall of vine appears behind Leviathan.

Harpuia charges at Freezeman and slashes. The blade hits solid ice and bounces off harmlessly. _I can't get through his shield!_ Large ice spikes start to appear from the block of ice, stabbing Harpuia on multiple parts of his armor.

The ice wall shatters as Freezeman brings his hands together and a cold gust of wind starts to collect in his palms. _Now's my chance!_ Harpuia slashes his blades in a cross pattern, sending two waves at Freezeman.

The attack knocks him down, but he gets back up. "You haven't won this one yet!" Freezeman fires an icy blast, freezing Harpuia's left hand.

_I need to do more damage to defeat him!_ Harpuia turns his jets on and takes to the air. _If I use my descent to empower my attack, I should be able to defeat him._

Harpuia prepares to dive down at Freezeman, but couldn't move. "What!? My jets stopped responding."

"I control the very temperature around you. You can't do anything in your position." Harpuia faces Freezeman and dives at him without the jets. _Guess I have no other choice!_

Freezeman launches a large ice spike towards Harpuia as Harpuia grips onto the blade on his right hand. Harpuia's blade meets the large piece of ice and he tries to slash through it. _My blade is starting to break apart!_ The blade starts to crack and Freezeman appears behind Harpuia.

Freezeman launches a freezing blast at Harpuia, knocking him into the large block of ice. "This is almost over. Now don't struggle unless you want a painful death." 

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Zero's Z-Saber meets Metalman's Metal blades as he tries to cut it. _It's no good! His blade is too powerful!_ Metalman raises his other hand and throws the other blade at Zero, cutting his armor.

X tries to fire at Crashman, but Crashman manages to avoid all the attacks as he charges at X. X jumps away at the last second and shoots Crashman from behind, but the attack only seems to scratch him. Crashman runs at X and pushes his drill into X's armor as it explodes, sending X back.

"Well, it looks like we have no other choice but to go all out, X." 

"Right behind you, Zero." The two of them transform into their ultimate armor as Crashman and Metalman charge at them.

"Now!" X and Zero run past each other. X fires his buster at Metalman's exposed point, sending a plasma blast through his armor. Zero's blade slices through Crashman's drill as he easily pushes him back. 

"Don't think that it's that easy to beat us!" Metalman stands back up again and another drill comes out of Crashman's arm.

"This is only the beginning!" 

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"AILE!" Vent charges at Shademan, but is easily pushed back as Shademan opens his wings, sending a gust of wind in Vent's direction. 

"V-V-Vent!" Shademan tightens his grip around Aile's neck as she screams. _I have to do something!_ Aile aims her buster at Shademan's face and charges up, but reverts back to her human form before she could fire.

"I'm sorry… Vent…"

"Well, this will be the first time that I tasted a human before. Hope that you're as tasty as those female reploids I had before I came here." 

Vent slowly reverts back to his human form as he tries to get up. _"This is pathetic, is that the best you can do, chosen one?"_

_Who are you?_

_"Do you want to save your friend over there?"_

_Of course I do!_ Vent tries to stand up again, but couldn't.

_"If that's the case, then reach into your left pocket. Use my power to destroy the foe."_ Vent reaches into his pocket to see a dark red biometal. _This is the biometal from before! I have my doubts… but I need to save Aile!_

"Rock-on!" Vent screams as a light surrounds him. Pieces of armor forcefully attach onto his body before he finishes. An insane look appears in Vent's eyes as he stares at Aile and Shademan.

"DIE!" Vent shoots his buster, sending a large white blast at both Shademan and Aile. Shademan absorbs most of the hits, but Aile takes damages as well.

"Vent? Is that you!?"

"Grr…" Vent turns his head and points his buster at Aile, hitting the ground in front of her.

"Vent! What's wrong!?"

"So the chosen got a new toy, it doesn't matter. I'll still destroy you!" Bats gather together as Shademan reappears. "This is where the real fight begins!" 

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Remember to read and review :) .


	10. Chapter 9: Model OX Unleashed

Well as for all your comments. This time, the Robot Masters will come in nine since Shademan's the leader and doesn't count as one of the lackeys. As for Fangirl, I didn't actually play the game and thought only Serpent was defeated. Anyways, just pretend that Model W is still alive. Well, here's the next chapter:

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Vent charges at Shademan and swings his purple saber in an arc, creating a huge cut in Shademan's left arm.

"Don't be so confident!" Bats start to surround Shademan as his cuts heal. "You're nothing compared to me! Crush Noise!"

Vent gets hit by the full force of the attack and sent flying back. He manages to stand up right after and aim his buster at Shademan. "DIE!"

Aile continues to stand and watch the battle between Vent and Shademan. _Whatever Vent did, it made him stronger, but he doesn't seem like himself anymore… I've never seen Vent so angry, it's like he's being possessed…_ Aile looks down at the wound from Vent's attack. _He's also never attacked a teammate like that. Vent, what's wrong?_

Shademan slashes at Vent, but he just takes the hit and attacks back. Vent jumps into the air and spins his OX Saber, sending little energy waves fanning out. Shademan brings his wing up to defend against the attack, but attack seems to freeze it. "What!?"

Vent charges up to Shademan at an incredible speed and executes a flaming uppercut with his saber, defrosting Shademan's wing and sending him upwards. "You seem to be quite fond of those wings of yours. Maybe I should take it off along with your arms." A voice unlike Vent's escaped from his mouth as the others turn their attention to Shademan and Vent.

Zero and Crashman stop fighting as Zero stares at the red figure of Vent. _That sounded almost exactly like Omega, but we've destroyed him! It does explain the color of his armor. Vent looks just like Omega did, but where did he find that biometal?_

Vent grabs one of Shademan's arm and attempts to rip it off, but vines start to come out of the ground and get in the way. Vent bites through the vines with his teeth before going after Shademan again. 

A large wave of fire gets in Vent's way as he runs through it, only to have Shademan's claw connect with his face. Vent lets out a low primal growl before attempting to attack again, but found his legs frozen.

"Vent, stop this! You'll get yourself killed." Aile attempts to go up and help Vent, but Vent fires his OX Buster recklessly at his own feet and pushes Aile out of the way before attempting to attack Shademan and the other three.

Plantman, Burnerman, and Freezeman get out of the way as Vent continues to charge forward. Vent gets out his OX Saber as he prepares to destroy Shademan. Metalman and Crashman charge at Vent from both sides, crushing him with their elbows.

Vent pushed the two of them away and jumped into the air spinning his saber, sending out waves to temporarily freeze the two of them. Vent jumps up and attempts to attack Shademan again, but is sent back by a Crush Noise attack.

X, Zero, and the others watch as Vent keeps on fighting. "What should we do? Help him?" Harpuia looks at Zero and X as they shake their head.

"I don't think that Vent wants any of our help. If we get in the way, he'll only attack us." The others nod as they continue to watch Vent fight.

Vent stands back up again as he grips his OX Buster. He launches six charged shots at each of the reploids in the room, knocking everyone except Shademan down. "You just don't know when to give up, do you!?"

Vent gets up again with a look of bloodlust in his eyes and prepares to attack them again. Before he could attack, a white laser hits him from the behind.

"Shademan, we've got what you wanted." Two identical reploids appear from Guardian HQ. The two of them seem to be wearing almost clear armor, like mirrors with a blue suit underneath. Both of them have a sack slung over their shoulder with what appeared to come from Guardian HQ.

The two of the reploids merge into one as Shademan smiles. "Excellent work, Geminiman, now let's go." Shademan and the others turn to leave, but Aile manages to stand up and speak.

"Weren't there… only three… of you?" Shademan just laughs at Aile's question.

"In the beginning, Yuriskah only brought back those five, but later decided that he didn't want to lead them, so he brought me back. If Yuriskah could do it, then why shouldn't we? Besides, Geminiman just got us what we needed to create two more." Shademan and the others warp out as Vent continues to stare at them.

Zero cautiously approaches Vent. "Vent, it's okay now." Vent turns to face Zero and brings out his OX Saber. Not entirely unexpected, Zero brings up his Z-Saber to block it. "Guys, we need to stop him from doing anymore damage!"

All five reploids charged at Vent as they tried to contain him. Vent used his OX Buster to shoot at everyone in the way. The charge shots connected with their marks as they sent everyone flying back. 

"Well, Zero, things sure have changed since the last time we met, hasn't it? Actually, come to think of it, this is actually pretty similar. The last time, I took over Forte to fight you, and now, I'm using the chosen one."

Vent moves forward as Zero gets up. "The only difference is that this time I'll destroy you!" Vent brings his OX Saber down as Zero jumps out of the way. Vent follows up with a flame uppercut, knocking Zero down.

X shoots Vent down from the sky with his X-Buster. Vent charges at X but Harpuia grabs onto him and brings him to the sky. Vent fires his OX Buster at Harpuia, but misses as Harpuia drops him.

Vent manages to land on his feet to avoid damage, but Fefnir greets him with his twin buster. Vent prepares to run at Fefnir, but finds his feet frozen.

"We can't keep fighting him forever, there has to be a way to return him back to normal." Zero gets up again and gets out his Z-Saber. "If he truly can't be helped, then we have no other choice than to kill him."

"STOP!" Aile weakly stands up as the five reploids stopped their actions and Vent looks at her curiously. She walks up to Vent and hugs him as she starts to cry. "Vent, I know that you're not like this. Please, stop this right now."

"Vent isn't here anymore." Vent raises the OX Saber, but Aile doesn't seem to move. Vent prepares to bring it down, but something stops him. "A-Aile!"

The red armor reverts back to normal as Vent faints on the ground. Aile helps him up as the others watched.

"Well, guess we didn't need to kill him after all." Zero continues to watch as the two of them enter Guardian HQ. "Guess we should go as well."

The other four reploids nod as they follow Zero back into base.

"Looks like Model W's plan didn't work exactly as planned. I'll just go back and make my report." A dark figure warps out of his hiding place in the tree. 

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**Guardian HQ**

"Well, how is he?" Aile looks at the unconscious figure of Vent on the bed as he looks at Rose and Prairie.

"He's suffered a lot of damage, but it's nothing that we can't fix." Rose continues to work on Vent as Prairie looks at Aile.

"We should go to Ciel's room. Zero just gave her the biometal that Vent used to analyze." Aile nods as the two of them leave. 

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"Well, any luck?" Zero enters the room as he sees Ciel looking intensely at the dark red biometal. X and the other three reploids enter the room, soon followed by Aile and Prairie.

"The data I could find on the biometal matches with Omega's. This biometal has Omega's power, and from what you told me, Vent was possessed." The others pause for a moment as they remember that name.

"Is there anyway to safely use the biometal?" Prairie looks at the biometal but Ciel sighs.

"I'm afraid I haven't figured that out yet. Everything about the biometal is very complicated and I've only managed to find out a bit about it. This wasn't made the same way as I made the other biometals. It's more similar to Model W."

There was another moment of silence before Aile decides to speak. "What do you think we should do with it for now?"

The door opens and everyone's eyes turn to find Vent walking into the room. "Vent! You shouldn't be up right now."

"Rose said it was okay, so don't worry." Vent takes a seat next to Aile as he takes a look at Model O. "I guess me and Aile should just hold it until you find something out. Besides, it might even save us some time."

"Alright, but don't use Model O unless you absolutely need to." Ciel hands the biometal to Vent and everyone heads back to their own room. 

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"Hey, Aile?" Vent turns Model O back and forth as he takes a look at it. 

"Yes?" Aile sits beside Vent on his bed as Vent tries to find the right words.

"I just wanted to apologize for what I did. I've attacked you and everyone else without even thinking about my actions. I almost killed you…"

"It's okay, Vent." Aile goes closer and hugs him. "You weren't in control of yourself back then, and when Model O tried to kill me, you stopped him. I'll always be there for you, no matter what." 

"Thanks, Aile." The two of them stay in the position for some time before Vent starts to blush, he tries to turn to see Aile's face, but couldn't. _I wonder what she's thinking right now…_

Aile stops hugging Vent as she brings her face in front of his. Her cheeks have a tint of pink in them as they stare at each other. _We were interrupted last time, but I'm sure that it won't happen again._

The two of them bring their lips together and remain like that for a few seconds before they break the kiss. "Vent, let's promise that we'll protect each other no matter what."

"That's what we've been doing ever since we've got the biometals." 

"Alright, Vent, good night." Aile goes up to sleep on her bed as Vent thinks of something from before. He grins as he attempts to try it out. 

"Aile, I'm scared…"

"Don't push your luck." Vent freezes as he hears Aile's voice. "That kiss is the only thing you're getting for today." Vent sighs as he goes back to sleep. _Well, it was worth a shot._

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"You're back, Phantom. How did it go?" Phantom walks into the room to be met by Pandora, Model W, and an injured Prometheus.

"They managed to stop Model O and Vent is in his human form again." Phantom looks at Prometheus. "What happened to him?"

"Yuriskah decided to betray us and Prometheus stood in his way and got defeated." Pandora replies coolly and Prometheus responds with a cold stare.

"You could have helped."

"Yuriskah is of no threat to us, so there's no point in denying his escape. If anything, he'll get in the way of the Guardians and give us a chance to strike. Pandora did the right thing." Model W pauses for a moment and Phantom looks at him.

"What do you think Yuriskah is up to?"

"That doesn't really matter. He didn't learn about our plans yet, so he won't be able to stop us no matter what he tires." 

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"Lord Shademan, we've finished analyzing the data that Yuriskah left. Come here and look at the results!" Shademan goes up to the monitor and carefully scans the data.

"This is what he was up to the whole time, huh?" Shademan looks at the two incomplete Robot Masters. "When will they be complete?" 

"They're almost done."

"I see." Shademan starts to leave the room. "I'll go and find Yuriskah. If he succeeds in his plan, he could become quite a threat. Continue with the plan after those two are finished." Shademan leaves the room as the other Robot Masters continue to build the two of them.

"This brings back old memories, doesn't it, Burnerman?" Plantman looks at everyone in the room. "The difference is, there's more than one hero trying to stop us this time and Shademan's our leader instead of Wily."

"Don't forget that this time, we won't lose." 

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Remember to read and review!


	11. Chapter 10: Yuriskah's Secret

Well, seeing as Leviathan and Harpuia didn't get a lot of screentime lately, I've decided to put some in the beginning of this chapter, enjoy!

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**Guardian HQ**

Zero and X enter the room the room as they take off their helmets. "Alright, we've defeated all the Irregulars in the area. Anything else we can do?"

"Well, that was the last Irregular sighting. We'll keep you two notified if anything comes up." X and Zero nod as they head off to their rooms.

"Hey, X, do you ever get the feeling that something big is about to happen soon?" X thinks back to when he was activated and ponders the thought.

"Actually, I've had that feeling a lot of times in the past, and most of the time, Sigma always make it come true. Why do you ask?"

"I've been having that feeling a lot lately."

"Oh, well something big is always going to happen. That, you can be sure of." Zero gets up and leaves the room. "Going to spend some quality time with Ciel?"

"Jealous?" 

"Not of you." Zero sticks his tongue out at X and leaves the room as X looks around the room. _Let's see what to do now… Guess I'll just go and grab myself a bite until the next Irregular sighting._

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**Harpuia's Room**

A soft knock on the door is heard as Harpuia drops his pen. "The door's unlocked." Leviathan comes in as Harpuia puts his pen down again on the paper.

Leviathan goes up to Harpuia's desk to see what he is doing as she tosses her long turquoise hair out of the way. "Doing paperwork again? You're not in Neo Arcadia anymore. You shouldn't feel compelled to do it." 

"Somebody has to. Prairie and the others are stressed right now and need a lot of help." Harpuia pauses as he puts the pen down. "Did you come here to help?"

"No. I just thought that we should spend some quality time together with all the fuss right now." Leviathan looks at Harpuia for a moment. "Why don't you take your helmet off? It can't be too comfortable wearing it all the time."

"I need to be prepared in case anything unexpected happens. It doesn't really make much of a difference for me anyways."

"Come on, Harpy, take it off. I've never even seen you without your helmet, and we've been together for years." Harpuia sighs as he raises his hand up to remove the helmet. He lifts it up as strands of emerald and jade hair fall out.

Leviathan stares at Harpuia's hair after he finishes removing the helmet, making him feel nervous. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing, I just didn't expect it to look like that." Leviathan smiles and Harpuia grabs his pen again. Leviathan stops Harpuia by gripping his hand. "You can do that later, right now, you should just relax." 

Harpuia barely stands up before Leviathan grabs him by the wrist and drags him to a nearby trans-server. "Wait! Where are we going?" 

"You'll see."

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Harpuia warps into an unfamiliar territory as he looks around. "Levi, where are you?" Harpuia looks around for a while but couldn't find the cerulean reploid. _I hope she's okay…_

Before Harpuia could react, a hand knocks him off balance and he finds himself in a cold pond. "Who's there?" Harpuia hears a familiar laugh and relaxes. "I know it's you, Levi, come out." 

Leviathan comes out and dives into the pond as well. Harpuia tries to bring up his hands to defend himself against the ice cold water, but Leviathan still manages to splash him. "You've got my hair all wet!" 

"And it's about to get wetter." Leviathan splashes some cold water onto Harpuia as he tries to swim away. Being an airborne reploid, Harpuia fails miserably as another cold torrent of water attacks him. 

Leviathan continues with her assault as Harpuia swims for his life. Harpuia attempts to splash some water at Leviathan as well, but she dives under the water and avoids it. _Where is she?_

Harpuia looks around but finds no signs of Leviathan. A cold splash of water hits him from behind, sending his face plummeting into the water. 

Harpuia swallows a few gulps before managing to lift his face up. Harpuia takes a dive and disappears into the water as Leviathan looks amused. "Seeing as how I'm better than you at this, I'll give you ten seconds to hide."

After patiently waiting, Leviathan dives down and searches for the emerald reploid. _Let's see… If I were Harpuia, were would I be?_ Leviathan feels two arms around her and realizes the answer to her question too late.

Harpuia brings Leviathan up into the air as she tries to struggle. "Put me down! I demand to be back in the water!" Harpuia decides to comply with her request and drops her down. Leviathan swims up to the surface and tries to toss water at the green reploid in the sky but finds her attempts futile.

After running out of breath, Leviathan climbs back up to the land as Harpuia goes down as well. "Had enough yet? You seem to have some trouble breathing."

Before Harpuia could react, Leviathan grabs onto the back of his head and pulls him towards her. Their two lips meet as Harpuia's eyes widen at the unexpected movement. The two of them close their eyes as they deepen the kiss.

_Her lips are sweet like before. I missed this scent so much…_ Leviathan's hair blows in Harpuia's face as Harpuia takes in the scent of her lips. Leviathan pushes Harpuia down to the ground during the kiss. After about a full minute, she ends it.

"Who did you say had trouble breathing, Harpuia?" Leviathan smiles as she goes back to the trans-server, slowly followed by Harpuia as he tries to catch his breath. 

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Harpuia sighs as he looks at the enormous amount of papers that seem to have grown since he's been here. He sits down and gets his pen ready, but is surprised to find another knock on the door.

Leviathan comes in with a chair and her blue pen as Harpuia stares in awe. Leviathan just calmly takes a seat beside Harpuia and takes half the papers from the pile. "Come on, let's finish this quickly." 

"You're doing… paperwork? You always managed to find a way to avoid it when we were back in Neo Arcadia."

"Well, I want you to have more free time so we can be together more often. Come on, I want to finish this by evening." Harpuia nods as he works on his pile, finding the soft clicks from beside him to be very comforting. 

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**Commander's Room**

"Have there been any Irregular activities lately?" Prairie looks at the other Guardians as they all shake their heads. Prairie looks at the monitors in the room as she notices a red dot. She quickly grabs the intercom.

"X, Zero, Vent, Aile, Harpuia, Leviathan, and Fefnir. Please report to the Commander's Room immediately." After waiting for a few moments, Zero and Ciel finally enter the room as everyone else waits. 

"Alright, what's the problem?"

"There's a signal coming from near here. We've cross referenced it with our archives, it's Yuriskah's."

"Wait, why do you need all of us to take care of one person?" Aile thinks back to her last encounter with Yuriskah. "He may be strong, but I don't think it requires all seven of us to fight him."

Prairie looks at the other five people in the room. "The signal's coming from the only part of Ragnarok still remotely intact." Aile and Vent seem completely unaware of the name as the other five reploids stand in shock.

"We have to hurry! Whatever he's planning, it's going to be dangerous if it involves that!" Zero motions for the others to follow him as Prairie quickly shows him the coordinates. The seven of them leave the area as Prairie and Ciel look at them go.

"Do you think they'll be okay, Sis?"

"I'm positive they will be, don't worry about it. After all, they've all been through tougher things, right?"

"Yeah, I hope so." 

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**Ragnarok Remains**

The seven of them reach an end with a narrow passageway as Fefnir tries to blast the opening apart. "It's no use, this thing won't budge!"

"Wait! I and Vent can fit through this place in our human forms." The two humans look at the five reploids for their opinions.

"Alright, but just be careful. I don't want to explain to Ciel if any of you gets hurt." Zero leaves the area. "The rest of us should separate and contact the others if they find another opening.

Vent and Aile nod at each other as they enter the narrow passageway into the remains of Ragnarok. "Wow, this place is old! I wonder what Yuriskah can possibly want here…"

Vent looks around the room to find moss covering the walls of the place. The floor seems to have sunk into the ground as he looks down to find dirt.

"Yeah, but keep alert. The others seem to have been surprised to hear the name of this place… I wonder what exactly happened here…" 

Vent and Aile continue to follow the hallway and pause when they hear the footsteps of someone else. Aile motions Vent to be quiet and mouths the words "It's him."

They wait for a moment until they're sure that it's Yuriskah before they follow the humanoid. Before long, they reach a huge open space and Yuriskah turns to face the two of them.

"Did you honestly think that I didn't notice the two of you?" Yuriskah extends his hand out to reveal a biometal. "I guess it doesn't matter what you do, my goal is almost within reach."

"Whatever you're up to, we won't let it happen! Enough people have already suffered." Vent gets out a biometal as well.

"Aile, Vent, come in!" Their communicator turns on as they hear Prairie's voice.

"Yeah, we're here. What is it?"

"Our radars have detected another source of energy headed in your direction. It's Shademan!" Just as Prairie finishes her sentence, Vent and Aile are sent flying back by a wave of sound.

"Looks like you are here after all, Yuriskah." Shademan appears from the shadows as Vent and Aile attempt to stand up.

"Rock-on!" The two of them change into Model X and then they each fire a charged shot at Shademan. Shademan seems to just deflect the first two attacks by spreading out his wings.

"Now!" The two of them unleash another barrage of charged shots right after, catching Shademan off guard and knocking him down. "I think we've got him…"

"Don't get in the way, humans!" Shademan stands back up again his arms stretch out, slashing at both Vent and Aile. "Crush Noise!"

A deafening noise attacks the two chosen ones, sending them rolling to the wall. _It's no good, he's too powerful for the two of us._ Aile tries to stand back up, but reverts back to her human form and collapses.

_Is this really where it ends? I guess defeating Serpent didn't prove to be as much of an accomplishment as I thought it did…_ Vent reverts back to his human form as well and collapses. Shademan turns his attention to the remaining chosen one.

"How did you manage to find out that I was here?" Yuriskah looks at Shademan as he walks forward.

"You left something back at our base before you left and I had it analyzed. Everything makes sense now. Why you brought us back, how you even know us."

"I almost feel flattered that you came all this way just to stop me. You must really think of me as a threat."

"I don't know how much a threat you would pose, but if you're plan succeeds it will certainly complicate things for us." Shademan prepares for battle as Yuriskah does the same thing.

"I won't let you stop me, I've worked far too long to get here. Nothing can stop me from find what I need."

"We'll just see about that, Yuriskah…" Shademan pauses for a moment. "Or do you prefer the name Forte?" 

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How many of you guys saw that one coming? I hope it answers some of your questions towards Yuriskah and what happened to Forte. If you guys still don't get it, it pretty much means Yuriskah IS Forte.


	12. Chapter 11: The New Guardian

Well, I've decided to put a little twist in Forte's return, so he won't be the way you would imagine him. Anyways, I got this idea a few days ago, so here's the next chapter:

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**Ragnarok Remains**

"You know about that as well?" Yuriskah reaches into his pocket and gets out a biometal. "Well, you can call me Forte as soon as I recover my original form and destroy you. Rock-on!"

Yuriskah's armor transforms into a black version of Zero's as Shademan prepares to fight. "You may have been stronger than me as Forte, but I've already defeated the other two chosen ones."

"Then we'll just see about that. This is where my powers have been hidden for one hundred years. As long as we fight here, I'll keep on getting stronger." To prove his point, Yuriskah draws the ZX Saber and it transforms into a purple color.

"If that's the case, then I'll have to finish this duel off quickly!" Shademan charges at Yuriskah and swipes his claw at him. Yuriskah brings up his purple saber as the two of them meet.

"You don't stand a chance like that." Shademan pushes more as Yuriskah loses his balance. "This all ends now!"

Yuriskah smiles as another blade appears on his free arm. He slashes at Shademan and then follows up by launching a charged shot with his ZX Buster. "I already told you, the longer the fight drags on, the stronger I become!"

Yuriskah moves forward to Shademan but jumps out of the way when a piece of the ground starts to glow. "I've finally found it!" Yuriskah reverts back to his human form as he points his hand on the ground. 

"Don't turn away from me!" Shademan stretches his arms out, but a dark sphere appears from the ground as Yuriskah laughs. Shademan tries to attack Yuriskah, but the sphere separates and covers Yuriskah in a bright light.

"I won't let you win!" Shademan raises his claws again but finds his efforts almost useless. He keeps on attacking until he makes a small crack in the barrier. "Now's my chance, Crush Noise!"

The attack breaks through the light barrier as Yuriskah screams. "This isn't over yet, Shademan!" The light disappears as Shademan smiles.

"Looks like Forte won't be coming back anytime soon." Shademan turns to leave, but finds the chosen ones standing up. "Oh? You two want another beating?"

"Stop right there, Shademan!" Vent and Aile turn to the direction of the voice to find Zero and the others. "Sorry we took so long." 

"You really think you stand a chance against me!? We'll just see about that!" X, Leviathan, Fefnir, and Harpuia prepare to attack but Zero stops them.

"He's mine." Zero transforms into his black armor as he gets out his Z-Saber. "I'll be the one to defeat you once and for all!" Zero charges at Shademan and brings his saber down. Shademan jumps away and avoids the attack as Zero follows up by shooting his Z-Buster. 

Shademan uses his wings as a shield to block Zero's attack. "You need to do a lot better than that to defeat me!" Shademan opens his wings, revealing a swarm of bats. Zero raises his blade up as the swarm gets closer and then brings it down, sending an ice wave along the ground to rip through them.

The attack pierces Shademan's wing and Zero jumps into the air to follow up. "This isn't even close to over!" Shademan extends his arm and grabs onto Zero's neck. _Not good!_ He brings Zero closer as he uses his other hand to reveal his undamaged wing. 

"Crush Noise!" The speed of the attack and Zero's descent sends him flying back. Zero lowers his Z-Buster to the ground and fires to push himself higher and to land safely.

"Lord Shademan, the other two Robot Masters are complete." Plantman's voice comes out of Shademan's communicator as he nods.

"Looks like we'll continue this another time, I'll take my leave for now." Shademan warps out of the room as Zero reverts back to his normal form.

"Hey, are you two okay?" Zero looks toward Vent and Aile as they slowly nod. "Looks like there's nothing else to do here, let's go back." The others follow Zero as he goes toward the exit. 

"Anything wrong, Aile?" Vent notices Aile looking back as she scans the room. 

"I just thought that I heard something for a moment. Come on, let's check." Vent nods as the two of them start to search around the room. The five reploids start to help as well after watching them search.

"Hey look, I found something!" The others turn to Aile as she slowly turns. A small bundle is in her arms, and as they get a closer look, they recognize it as an unconscious, small child.

The child seems to be a black and gold reploid with small fins on his head. X and Zero immediately recognize the figure and the realization slowly dawns on the three reploids.

"Forte!?" Zero gasps in surprise at the small bundle in Aile's arm. He looks at Aile and Vent quickly and then back at the miniature Forte. "What exactly happened here?"

"Let's explain once we get back to Guardian HQ." Aile continues to hold the child in her arms. "What should we do with him? Do you five know him?"

"We'll explain that later. Let's just go back and ask Ciel." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Guardian HQ**

"Hey so all of you are back. What do you have in your arms, Aile?" Prairie takes a closer look as the figure turns. Prairie almost freezes as she recognizes Forte. She looks at Zero and X for an explanation.

"Don't look at us. We know about as much as you do. Maybe you should explain the situation to Ciel…" Prairie nods as she leaves the room. After waiting for a few minutes, Ciel appears as she carefully takes Forte from Aile's arms as she leads them to her room.

"Maybe you two should start off by telling us exactly what happened." Vent and Aile take a deep breath as they prepare to tell them what they witnessed.

"…and then the light disappears and that's where you guys come in." Vent and Aile are out of breath after explaining the situation as Zero looks at Forte and back at them.

"So… Yuriskah was Forte all along… I guess that does explain some things." Zero takes a look at Ciel. "You think he's going to be permanently like this?"

"I'm not sure about that just yet. Whatever Forte was trying to do, Shademan got in the way and for some reason, he's like this now." Ciel turns to the sleeping figure as he starts to yawn.

Forte wakes up as he rubs his eyes and look at everyone in the room curiously. "Who… are… you?" Taken back by the question, X tries to think of a way to answer.

"Uhh… how much do you remember?"

"My name Forte… everything else blank…" X smacks his head with his hand and the others look at Forte.

"Looks like he got his memories erased as well…" Zero looks at the reploid that's supposed his big brother. Zero eyes the door and looks at X. X nods and the two of them make a break for it.

"We're not taking care of him!"

"Hey!" Vent, Aile, Ciel, and Prairie call move to the door, but find the two reploids long gone.

"Well, I guess we'll be going now as well." Harpuia, Leviathan, and Fefnir slowly walk out of the room and meet no protests from the other four.

Prairie takes a look at Aile and Vent. "You two should take care of him. Sis is busy and I have a lot of paperwork to do."

"Wait, but we don't know anything about taking care of a child!" Vent tries to protest but Prairie looks at Forte.

"These two will show you where you'll be living for now." Forte nods his head as Vent and Aile sighs.

"Alright, Vent, let's go." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Vent and Aile's Room**

"Wait! Don't put that in your mouth, it's not a toy!" Vent yanks the biometal from Forte's hand as Aile comes out of the washroom. 

"What's wrong?"

"He tried to eat Model X!" Vent looks at the small figure as tears start to form in his eyes. Vent looks around the room to find something to divert Forte's attention but isn't quick enough. 

Forte starts to cry as Aile looks at Vent. "Nice going, Vent." Aile tries to calm the small reploid, but none of her attempts work as Vent panics. "Do something! He'll disturb everyone in the base!" 

"What am I suppose to do?" Vent tries to put Forte in his bed on the pillow, but the black reploid continues to cry. "This isn't working!"

The door opens as Prairie steps into the room. "I've been getting some complaints by the people near here. Can't you two take care of a child?" Prairie sighs as she picks Forte up. Forte seems to stop crying and stare at Prairie curiously.

"Wow, Commander, looks like you're really good with kids. Can you take care of him instead, please?" Aile looks at Prairie as she sighs. 

"Alright, I'll take care of him for today, but don't count on me to help you every time." Prairie looks at the small figure. "Come on, Forte." Forte obediently follows Prairie to her room as Vent and Aile sigh with relief. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Ciel and Prairie's Room**

"Hey, Sis, I'm back." Forte looks around the room curiously and jumps onto the bed. Ciel takes a look at the child and then at Prairie. "Vent and Aile couldn't take care of him, so I agreed to help them out for now, hope that doesn't bother you."

"That's fine, he seems to be behaving." Forte runs to Prairie's desk and picks up a crystallized stuffed animal.

"What's that?"

"It's just something that a friend gave me…" Forte nods as he explores her desk and finds stuffed animals of all different sorts. Ciel just smiles at the small black reploid. "You know, I never thought of Forte like this. He kind of reminds me of you."

Prairie faintly blushes as she thinks about the grown up Forte acting like this and changes the subject. "Where should he sleep?"

"Well, there's an extra mattress somewhere, and I'm sure that we can find a spare blanket." Prairie nods as she leaves the room the room. She stops halfway through the door.

"Actually… Why don't we get X and Zero to do it? They seem to have a lot of spare time."

"Alright, I'll tell Zero the next time he comes." Forte leaves Prairie's chair as she gets closer and sits on it. Prairie gets out a pen and starts to do some paperwork as Forte stares at her.

_I never thought that Forte would come back like this… I wonder if he'll return to normal…_ Prairie puts the finished paper in a corner of the desk as she grabs another one from the pile.

Forte looks at the finished paper as he stares at something. "Pra…i…rie." 

Prairie smiles and pats Forte lightly on the head. "That reminds me, you haven't been introduced to anyone yet." Forte nods his head and smiles at his accomplishment. The door opens as X and Zero walk in. 

"X, Zero! Just the two I wanted to see." Ciel motions to Forte as he follows her. "I want the two of you to show him around and introduce him to everyone."

X and Zero look nervously at Forte, but Prairie blocks the exit as they try to make a run for it. "Alright, we'll do it." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

After a long day of chasing a hyper kid around the base, Zero and X collapse on their beds. Zero looks at X as he thinks about Forte. "Hey, what do you think he'll grow up like?"

X tries to catch his breath as he thinks about the grown up Forte compared to the hyper kid. "Probably very different than the one that we're used to. I don't know how Ciel and Prairie manages to keep him in control."

Zero collapses on the bed and X follows his example. "Well, good night, X."

"Night, Zero." The two of them fall asleep, and the next morning, X didn't give his usual wake-up call to Zero. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Alright, so now we have a chibified Forte with no memories other than his name. Remember to read and review!


	13. Chapter 12: Touring Innerpeace

Well guys, here's another update for you guys. This one will just be a day for Chibi Forte and Prairie around Innerpeace.

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Ciel and Prairie's Room**

_I feel so exhausted today for some reason. I think I'll just sleep in today…_ Prairie dozes off again as she tries to continue the dream she was having about stuffed animals. _I'm sure that Ciel can fill me in on anything important._

Poke. Poke.

"A few more minutes, Sis, I'm too tired right now…" Prairie keeps her eyes closed and tries to go back to sleep. Just as she is about to fall into the lands of slumber once again…

Poke. Poke.

Prairie opens her eyes, expecting to find the pale blue eyes of Ciel, but instead finds huge amber eyes. Prairie's eyes widen for a moment before remembering the events of the last day.

"What do you want, Forte?"

"I'm hungry…" Prairie looks at Ciel who seems to be sleeping peacefully on her desk. Just at that moment, Zero barges into the room.

"Hey, Ciel, I was wondering if…" Zero looks around and notices the sleeping figure of Ciel and Prairie in her pink nightgown. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"Actually, take Forte to the cafeteria and get some breakfast for him." Zero nods, realizing there isn't a way out of it as Forte happily goes to his side. Zero sighs as he leaves the room.

_Well, no use in trying to sleep in now. I might as well get dressed._ Prairie opens the closet door to reveal her uniform and hat. She takes them out of the closet and enters the washroom to change. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Cafeteria**

Forte enters the room with X and Zero at both his sides. All the tables are filled with different Guardians as they look around the room.

"Hey, over here!" X and Zero turn to find Leviathan waving at them, sitting with Harpuia and Fefnir. The two reploids nod as they grab Forte and go to the counter to help themselves with food.

X and Zero grab a tray and Forte imitates them after watching. After picking about one of everything, Zero and X eye each other as they look at the last muffin.

"MINE!" The two reploids speak in perfect unison as they dive for it. After making a huge scene, Zero manages to grab the chocolate muffin before the three of them sit at the table with Harpuia and the others. 

"So, how was your jog around Guardian HQ yesterday?" Harpuia puts his fork into his food as X and Zero glare at him.

"How did you know?"

"You ran past my room three times. Everyone knew about it." Harpuia continues biting into his food as Leviathan steals some from him. "I thought you decided to go on a diet."  
Leviathan smacks Harpuia on the side of the head as the two chosen ones sit beside them on the table.

"What happened with you two taking care of Forte? He was in Ciel and Prairie's room this morning, can't handle a kid?" Zero remarks at the two chosen ones as they try to think of something to say.

"I suppose running around Guardian HQ multiple times takes a lot of parenting skills." Zero stops talking at looks at Harpuia, who just shrugs and mouths "I told you so."

"Oh right, I was meaning to ask you guys. I was up yesterday night and read about Dr. Weil and Omega, so what exactly happened there?" 

"Well, Omega and Weil came back from his exile in Neo Arcadia and we had to…" After shortly summarizing some of the events, X looks at the two chosen ones to find them listening. "That's how we defeated Weil in the end."

Zero listens to the whole conversation and has an annoyed look on his face. "You make it sound like you actually did something important. You did jack squat! The only time you even showed up during the Ragnarok incident was when you attacked me!"

"If it wasn't for me, you would've gotten killed by Omega. As for the Ragnarok incident, you would have gotten killed by Forte if you hadn't fought me." X turns his attention to Forte, but he seems to be unaware of the conversation as he continues eating.

"Is that how the five of you know Forte?" Aile looks at the small reploid. "Hard to believe that he would be like that…"

"Yeah, I had to wipe my eyes a few times to convince myself Forte was real when you found him in the ruins of Ragnarok…" Zero turns to his plate and glares at X, "Where's my muffin?"

"I didn't take it!"

"Well, who else would have?" Zero looks across from him and looks at Fefnir, "Unless it was you!" Zero starts throwing accusations at X and Fefnir as they defend themselves. Harpuia and Leviathan sighs and looks at the small figure beside Forte.

Forte calmly wipes some brown crumbs from his face as Zero runs out of breath. Harpuia looks at the cup beside Forte and looks at Zero. "Zero… You let a kid drink coffee?"

"He's three hundred years old, I'm sure he can handle it…"

"Three hundred years old?" Aile looks at X and Zero, but they return that with a look that says "I'll explain it later."

"Besides, what's the worst that can happen?" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Two Hours Later**

Zero and X enter Prairie and Ciel's room as they almost faint to the ground. "Alright… we've managed…"

"To catch… him…" X finishes Zero's sentence for him as the two of them drop to the ground. Zero turns to reveal a small black reploid stuck on his back.

"Now get him off…" Forte looks around the room and finds Prairie. He immediately jumps off of Zero's back, making him collapse, and runs to Prairie.

"Can we go outside to please… I want to see all the buildings and people!" Prairie picks up the hyper Forte in her arms as he looks at X and Zero.

"What did you two do?"

"Um… well you see… while we got our food, Forte was copying us, so he drank some coffee…" Prairie motions the two of them to leave the room.

_Well, I can't go by myself, or Forte might get lost._ Prairie looks at Ciel working on her desk. _Well, she's too busy, and I know X, Zero, Vent, and Aile will probably do more harm than good._

Prairie sighs as she narrows down the choices. _Well, guess I can ask Harpuia and Leviathan. I'm sure that they're responsible enough to take care of Forte._

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Harpuia and Leviathan's Room**

Harpuia looks at his desk in amazement as the pile of completed paperwork is the only pile on the table. Leviathan stands up from her stool and stretches. "Well, Harpy, looks like the two of us are finally finished. This calls for a celebration!"

Prairie enters the room just as the two Guardians stand up. "Hey, I was wondering if the two of you wanted to accompany me and Forte around Innerpeace. I don't want him to be left alone."

"Sure come on! Harpy, let's go!" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace**

Forte squeals in delight as he looks at all the people and buildings in Innerpeace. Prairie smiles at his enthusiasm and finds an ice cream vendor nearby.

"Do the two of you want any?" Prairie gets out her purse and starts counting the money, but Leviathan takes it from her.

"Let me handle this, I'm sure that I can get a nice discount…" Prairie nods as Leviathan goes off to "bargain" with the male in charge of selling ice cream. Harpuia looks slightly amused as he watches the male turn red and nervously twitching as he hands Leviathan four cones.

Leviathan comes back with a smile on her face from the success and hands everyone the ice cream. "I got all four of them at half price. Aren't you glad that you chose to take me along, Commander?" Leviathan scans the city and finds something that catches her eye. "Come on, Harpy, there's a store over there. Let's see what we can buy."

Leviathan drags Harpuia off as he looks at Prairie. "We'll meet the two of you back here later." Prairie grabs Forte's hand as they walk around town, looking at merchants with different displays.

Prairie stops for a moment and looks at a necklace with silver chains and a pink heart in the middle. She gets out her wallet, and disappointedly sighs as she holds onto Forte's hand again.

"Come on, let's go look around some more." Forte nods as the two of them take a look around. Prairie smiles each time Forte looks around in awe at his surroundings. _I guess this is the first time that Forte's ever been able to act like a kid, he was programmed to be like a grown up._

As Prairie snaps out of her thoughts, she looks around and notices that Forte isn't there. "Forte!? Where are you?" Prairie tries to look for signs of the black reploid in the crowds, but can't see him through everyone. "Forte!" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace Dark Alley**

_Where am I?_ Forte looks around and notices a bunch of figures standing around shouting. _What's going on?_

Forte moves through the crowd as his eyes start to adjust to the darkness. In the center of the crowd, he finds two large humanoids arm wrestling. A shorter stubby guy seems to carry a sack full of money. The larger humanoid slams his hand down and wins as the other one grumbles and pushes a wad of money to the stubby person's hands. 

"Come on now, are there any challengers brave enough? How about I make the next round on the house? If you win, you get all the money in this sack, and you lose nothing! Any takers?"

Everyone in the crowd looks at each other as they back away. _Maybe I should try… Zero, X, and Fefnir seem to enjoy this…_ "I'll go!" 

"Well, it's a small kid. Alright, kid, if you're sure about this." Forte sits on the other side of the table as the large guy chuckles. 

"Don't worry, kid, I won't hurt you too much…" The two of their hands meet as the stubby humanoid raises his hand, signifying the start. The large guy wastes no time in pushing Forte's arm downwards. 

_He's too strong!_ Before Forte's hand touches the table, some unknown force seems to stop him from losing. _What's happening to me?_ Sweat starts to come out of the large guy's hand as he tries to push Forte's arm down, but his efforts are in vain.

A dark aura seems to surround Forte as he slams the large guy's hand down, winning the game. The crowd seems to be amazed as Forte claims his money. He exits the alley, not noticing some people from the crowd still following him. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace**

"Do you see that?" The group of people following Forte now notice the small kid's figure in the light. "That helmet on his head… He's one of them!"

"I've had enough of those Mavericks in this world! We'll destroy him in an isolated place."

"Hey, look, he's going to that alley, now's the perfect chance to attack!"

Forte looks at his hand, happy at what he spent his money on as he walks on. _Now to find Prairie and the others…_

"Stop right there, Maverick!" Forte quickly turns to find a bunch of humanoids armed with daggers and other weapons. "This is where you die!"

Forte starts to run as they follow him. "Leave me alone!" Forte manages to keep up a faster pace than him, but stops when he almost runs into a wall. Forte looks around and finds no exit.

_Help me… Prairie…_ Forte curls into a ball as he hears footsteps getting closer to him. _I don't want to die here…_

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace**

"Any luck finding him?"

"I did a quick check from above, but he's too small. Looks like we'll have to look for him by ground…"

"Well, in that case, we should split up. Meet back here in twenty minutes if you don't find him." Leviathan takes one direction as Harpuia goes the opposite way.

_Forte… Please be okay…_ Prairie runs around Innerpeace, asking around for signs of Forte.

"A small child with black armor… I saw him go in that direction…" The shopkeeper points as Prairie quickly darts off. She hears screams and looks as a bunch of thugs run out of an alley.

"There's a fire over there! Run right now!" Prairie looks at the alley and the rest of her surroundings. _If Forte is there, I better check quickly!_ Prairie puts the hem of her coat to her nose to block the gas as she rushes inside.

_I don't see any signs of him… The flames are getting hotter._ Prairie coughs a few times and pushes onwards before finding a small figure curled into a ball. "Forte! It's me!"

"Prai-rie?" Forte faints as the flames vanish. Prairie picks up Forte and inspects him for any damages. _He doesn't have any injuries on him… Can it be that he's the one who caused it?_

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Guardian HQ**

"Look, Prairie, you shouldn't be too upset. What happened wasn't your fault, it could have happened to anyone!" Prairie puts Forte on her bed as Leviathan and Harpuia accompany her.

"What's wrong, Prairie?" Prairie looks to find Ciel and Zero in the room as well. "You have soot everywhere… Did Shademan or Model W attack?" 

"No… Forte got lost and was in a fire…"

"Oh… well don't worry about it too much, he's okay now." Ciel smiles at her encouragingly as Leviathan and Harpuia leave the room. 

"Well, I better go as well, it's getting late." Zero leaves the room as Ciel stands up.

"I better get some more coffee. Looks like I'll be sleeping late tonight again." Ciel leaves as well, leaving only Prairie and Forte in the room.

"Pra-rie." Prairie looks down at the small figure as he wakes up.

"I'm sorry about what happened, Forte. I won't let that happen again." Prairie hugs the small reploid as he digs in his pocket for something.

"It wasn't your fault. I was the one who wandered off. Here, have this." Forte pulls out the necklace Prairie was staring at earlier. "I knew you wanted it, so I bought it for you." Prairie smiles as she tries it on.

"Thanks, Forte." Forte crawls off Prairie's bed and goes onto his mattress as Prairie climbs onto hers. Forte falls asleep as she watches the sleeping figure. The events of the day go through Prairie's mind. _What happened today won't happen again. Forte left once, but I'll make sure he stays this time._

Forte starts to stir violently on his mattress as Prairie watches him for a few hours. _He must be having an intense nightmare… I wish there was some way I can help him…_

Forte wakes up violently as sweat pours down his neck. Prairie looks at the shaking figure and motions to him. _I've never seen Forte so scared, not even during the incident at the alley._

"Here, Forte, you can sleep on my bed if it makes you feel any better." Forte only seems to nod as his response as he gets on the bed with Prairie. Prairie watches as the black reploid quickly goes to sleep, clutched onto her nightgown.

Forte's facial features seem to tense for a moment as he clutches onto Prairie's nightgown tighter. His face relaxes as his breathing turns to normal. _He looks so peaceful like this… I wish he could have been like that during the incident with Weil and Omega, I wonder if he's ever peaceful?_

Prairie puts her arm over Forte as she slowly goes to sleep as well. The door opens as Ciel steps back into the room.

"Well, looks like Prairie will make a very good mother someday… I'm done for today, so I might as well sleep for the rest of the day."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Shademan and the Robot Masters will be back in the next chapter, and remember to read and review till then.


	14. Chapter 13: Rising Complications

Well, I've suddenly had a rush of ideas today, so here's the new chapter:

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Guardian HQ**

"Alright, Sis, I've ordered the equipment you need from the factory. It should be delivered some time this evening." Prairie leaves the room as Ciel continues her work, dragging Forte with her.

Upon leaving, Prairie notices Zero entering the room. His hair seems to be all tangled up and fuzzy, making him the perfect example of someone who just got out of bed.

"X is hogging the washroom. I need to use yours…"

"It's almost noon, you should've gotten up along time ago." Prairie sighs as she points to the room. "Sis is still working, I'm sure you know where it is." Zero nods as he goes inside. _Even Forte gets up earlier than him, saving the world is pretty much the only thing that Zero's good at._

Zero leaves the bathroom with a comb in his hand as he straightens out his hair. He looks across to see Ciel working on her computer.

"Ciel, you don't have to keep on working so hard…" Ciel stops working and turns to look at Zero.

"Everyday, you and the others risk your lives to help defend the world. I realize that I can't be there alongside you, so I'm just doing what I can to help…" Ciel looked Zero in the eye and walked up to him. "You did it again, didn't you?"

Zero slowly started to back away, feeling uncomfortable at Ciel's question. "Huh?"

"Even after all these years, it's still the same. Every time you go on one of those missions, I'm powerless to help you."

"Ciel, we've been through this before. You aren't powerless and never will be." Zero put his hand on Ciel's chin to lift it up a bit more. "If you keep on working like this, you'll collapse." 

"Zero…" The two of them bring their lips together as Zero closes his eyes, lost in his thoughts. _Her lips are still the same after all these years. Still sweet, just like her personality._

Ciel puts her hands on Zero's back as he does the same. After several minutes, Zero breaks the kiss to breath while Ciel does the same. "You sure have a lot of… stamina for a… human…"

"Thanks… I think."

Zero puts his foot beside Ciel's and trips her. Ciel yelps as she slowly falls to the ground, but Zero's hand on her back stops the descent. "What are you…"

Zero quickly puts his other hand on the back of Ciel's leg and lifts her up. "You look like you haven't left the room for days, let's go outside for a while…" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Prairie sits in the command center as she monitors Innerpeace as Forte looks out the windows to see the sky. "Look, there's someone there!" 

Prairie stands next to Forte as she sees a small figure on the ground, seeming to wave at them. "Guess we better lower the base and see what he wants." Prairie presses a few buttons as the airship slowly descends.

After it reaches the ground, the door lowers as Prairie and Forte go outside. "Who're you and what's your business here?" Prairie takes a closer look at the out-of-breath boy. He was about Vent and Aile's age with black hair and amber eyes.

"My name… is Edge. I'm an employee… of the factory you ordered… from…" Edge takes a second to catch his breath before continuing. He pulls out a parcel and hands it to Prairie. "These are the equipment you ordered."

"I see… thanks." Prairie prepares to leave, but Forte pulls on her uniform, pointing to Edge to show he has more to say.

"I was leaving the factory when it happened. A whole army of mechaniloids attacked, lead by one black reploid with metal blades on his shoulders. The factory's been completely taken over!" 

"What!? Come with me back to base and we can discuss things." Edge nods as he enters the door and the base starts to move upwards into the air. Prairie goes to the computer and types in a few coordinates.

"A huge mechaniloid army is gathering at the factory!" Prairie presses a few more keys as she looks at the monitor. "There are also seven other bases outside of Innerpeace that's been taken over. Armies are slowly building up in each base! We need to warn the others quick."

"I was wondering if…" Edge thinks of some words to say. "I can be a Guardian as well! I have no where else to go, and I can't stand by and do nothing while this is happening!" Prairie nods as she scribbles something on a piece of paper.

"Talk to a Guardian in this area and there'll be a trial for you to pass. If you manage to pass the trial, then you'll be acknowledged as a Guardian." Edge nods as he heads off. "Come on, Forte, let's go gather the others."

Prairie and Forte enter their own room and find a note on the table. "Let's see: Me and Zero have gone to Innerpeace. From, Ciel. Guess we need to wait until they come back." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace**

"It's an Irregular attack!" Zero and Ciel barely manage to step out of the way as a horde of humanoids run past them. Zero steps in the way as Irregulars appear.

"You've all picked a very bad time to attack!" Zero's helmet appears on his head as he slashes at the Irregulars. "Ciel!" Zero turns to find Ciel surrounded by Irregulars. _I don't have enough time to save her…_

Ciel reaches into her pocket and pulls out a bomb. She throws it at the Irregulars, destroying all of them in one attack as the recoil knocks her down.

Zero catches Ciel before she falls to the ground. "Are you all right?" 

"Yeah, I think so. I've sprain my ankle, so I can't move." Zero kneels down with his back to Ciel and she gets on his back.

"When did you start carrying weapons with you?"

"Well, I might need to defend myself in case you aren't around, and I guess I was right about that after all." Zero nods as he jumps into the air, shooting down Irregulars and slicing them while carrying Ciel on his back.

"I think we've got all of them…" Ciel looks around to scan the area. "Wait! There's two people over there!"

Zero quickly dashes there to find two unconscious reploids. One is a dark purple color with a white helmet while the other reploid is a combination of white and light blue. "These two look familiar…" 

"Those are the two reploids who serve Model W!" Ciel exclaims as she remembers Phantom's attack on Guardian HQ.

"Well… what do we do with them?" Ciel sighs as she weighs their options. _If we bring them back, then they might attack us or tell Phantom and Model W. Still, there has to be a reason that they're injured like that. Maybe they've changed._

"Conviscate their weapons and let's head back to base. I want to know why they're injured." Zero nods as he takes their weapons and the four of them warp out. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Ugh… where am I?" Prometheus slowly opens his eyes and sees the face of Vent. He quickly rips the blanket away as he searches for his scythe. 

"We've taken your weapons, so don't even bother trying anything. Hey, Aile, is she awake yet?"

"What do the two of you want with us?" The door opens as everyone else enters the room. Ciel looks at Prometheus and Pandora.

"The two of you are awake. Would you two mind explaining why we found you unconscious outside of Innerpeace?"

"Phantom, Pandora, and I were sent to attack Innerpeace. Phantom just said something about the weak having no place in the world…" Prometheus looks at Pandora, telling her to finish it.

"Phantom attacked, and we weren't able to defeat him… The next thing we know, we woke up here…" Pandora stops talking as everyone else looks at the two of them.

"Well, do you think they're telling the truth?" Vent looks at Zero and the others as they think the question over.

"I wouldn't put it past Model W to do something like that. This could possibly be the truth…" Zero looks at Prairie. "What should we do with the two of them?"

Prairie rubs her forehead as she thinks all the events of the day over. "We need as much help as we can get right now. They can stay at Guardian HQ, but we'll be keeping a close eye on the two of you."

"Do you think we'll really join you losers!?" Prometheus attempts to sit up, but Zero silences him with a glare.

"You two don't really have much of a choice right now. Are you going to go crawling back to Model W and beg for forgiveness?"

"Fine…" Pandora sits up as Prometheus grumbles. The tense atmosphere is still in the room as Prometheus and Pandora exits and walks around the halls. Prairie looks at the others in the room.

"Come to the Commander's Room. I have something you all need to see." All of them nod as they follow Prairie." 

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"That's a nice lie, isn't it?" Pandora and Prometheus stop to see a Guardian with jet black hair and amber eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"It isn't that hard to see what the two of you are planning. Get into the base and send information to Model W from the inside."

"You shouldn't try to talk about matters that you don't understand." Prometheus grips onto the scythe that's been returned to him. 

"Don't worry, I won't tell the others." The boy turns away as Prometheus yells and swings his scythe, sending a large wave towards the Guardian. The Guardian steps aside in one swift motion without looking back as the wave passes harmlessly by him.

"How rude of me to not introduce myself, for now, you can call me Edge." The Guardian walks off as Prometheus shakes his fist at him.

"We don't have time for this, Prometheus."

Prometheus nods as he gets out a communicator hidden under his cloak. "This is Prometheus to Phantom, we've managed to infiltrate the Guardian Base…" 

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"As you can all see, we're surrounded on almost all sides by Shademan's troops." Prairie points to the red areas on the map. The door opens as Edge walks in, followed by Prometheus and Pandora.

"I see you've managed to become a Guardian, Edge. We were just talking about Shademan's troops." Prairie continues on to show the area on the map and finishes up as they leave the room.

"Prairie?" 

"Yes, Forte?"

"I have a bad feeling about the three of them…" Prairie thinks over everything she knew about Edge, Prometheus, and Pandora. _There's something unsettling about Edge for sure, I have a feeling he wasn't telling us everything, but we can't make any assumptions yet. We can't just let Prometheus and Pandora go, this is the best choice of actions for now._

"Don't worry, Forte. If anything goes wrong, we still have Zero and the others here." Forte nods as Prairie looks over the area Shademan's troops were gathering. 

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"They actually thought they got rid of me." A figure moves closer to a pod as it starts to open. "Ahh, looks like he's finally complete."

_Where am I?_ Another figure emerges from the pod and looks at the other figure in the room. "Who are you?"

"I've brought you back to destroy the chosen ones, Vent and Aile. I'm sure you still remember them."

_Vent and Aile?_ "I won't allow you to do that!" The red figure moves away from the black figure as the black figure laughs.

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice in this matter."

A dark energy starts to surround the red figure as he screams in pain. "AGHHHH!" _What's happening to me?_ A dark purple armor and a blue saber appears as the black figure laughs.

"Arise, Girouette. From now on, you will be my servant!" 

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Some parts of the story probably confused you, but I'll explain everything later. As for now, Read and Review!


	15. Chapter 14: Double Battle

Well, here's the first full Robot Master battle for you guys. It'll be 2 vs. 2 (If you consider Geminiman to be two people)

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**Guardian HQ**

"Shademan's troops are advancing on Innerpeace and Guardian HQ!" Everyone in the room looks at the screen to see multiple small red dots coming from every direction. "Split into two groups and defend the area!" 

X, Zero, Harpuia, Leviathan, Fefnir, and Edge nod as they head out. Prairie grabs a microphone and announces the message to the other Guardians as they leave. The door opens as Aile, Vent, Promethus, and Pandora enter the room.

"Aren't the four of you supposed to be outside as well?"

"I have no obligations to work with you Guardians." Prometheus prepares to leave the room as Pandora scans the map.

"There's nothing except drones. It's not a big deal." Prairie looks at the screen again to confirm Pandora's observation.

"That's true… Since the four of you are here anyway, are you all up for claiming back some territory occupied by Shademan?"

"You want us to attack them?" Aile looks at Prairie as she nods. "I guess me and Vent can go."

"Good, since we don't know the full ability of our enemies, you will be going together in pairs." Prairie points to the trans-servers as she begins to type in some coordinates.

"Wait, what makes you think that I and Pandora will agree to this?" Prometheus looks at Pandora as she nods. "Alright, fine, but don't think that we're on your side."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Now, step on the trans-server and I'll transport all of you into different locations." Aile and Vent get on first, and later Prometheus and Pandora get on after a slight pause.

"Coordinates are set." The operators start to type in different keys as Prairie watches the four of them transfer out..

"Good luck." 

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"Aile, you there?" Vent finds himself in an area alone as he opens up his communicator. "Prairie, Aile isn't here!"

"It seems that something went wrong with the transfer since there were four of you. Look around the area, there are only two coordinates. I'm sure that you'll find her somewhere." Vent looks around but finds nothing.

A bullet pierces Vent from behind as he turns and finds mechaniloids. _There seems to be some guards in this place._ Vent reaches into his pockets, but only manages to find Model X, F, Z, and O. _Aile must have the other ones._

"Rock-on!" Blue armor appears on Vent as he charges his buster and shoots down the mechaniloids in his way. "Prairie, where exactly am I?" 

"This used to be a research facility until Shademan's troops took over. Be careful, I'm sensing a high unknown energy source in the area." 

"Got it." Vent turns to find a door and charges his buster as he hears noises coming from it. _That must be one of Shademan's subordinates._ Vent fires his charged blast as the door opens, the shot deflects off a glowing scythe as Vent prepares to fire again. 

"Is that the best that you can do, chosen one?" Vent lowers his buster and looks as he recognizes the voice.

"Prometheus!" 

"Looks like Pandora isn't here after all." Prometheus looks at Vent. "I can't believe that I'm stuck here with you."

"Prairie, where's Aile?" Vent hears the click of some keyboards coming from the other end before Prairie starts to speak.

"She's been transferred to the other coordinate with Pandora. Continue on with your mission and find defeat the one in charge of the area." Vent closes the communicator as he dashes after Prometheus.

"Wait up!"

"Don't get in my way, brat. The only reason I even agreed to this was because Shademan was my enemy as well, but that goes the same for you. If you get caught in the crossfire, then I'll gladly kill you along with whoever's here." Vent stops for a moment as a slight shiver runs down his spine.

_I don't know if I should be safer or not with Prometheus around, but right now, it's definitely the latter._ Vent dashes after Prometheus as the two of them go about their own business destroying the mechaniloids. 

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"This is the last room." Vent looks around and sees another figure. "I take it that you're the one in charge around here!"

"Yes, you can call me Geminiman." Vent prepares to charge his buster and fire at Geminiman, but is pushed aside by Prometheus.

"Move aside, brat!" Prometheus charges and swings his scythe in a huge arc, sending a wave towards Geminiman. The attack hits the wall and causes dust to from in the room as Prometheus smirks.

"Wait, someone's still standing there."

"Heh, guess I underestimated you." Prometheus prepares to attack again as Vent clutches his buster.

"Wait, is it just me or are there two Geminimans?" Geminiman dashes out of the dust and delivers a punch at Vent before he could react.

"I'll slice through you both!" Prometheus raises his scythe up, but gets attacked in the back by someone else. "What!? There are two Geminimans!" The two of them laugh as they merge together and become one again.

"Are you surprised with my special ability?" Geminiman raises his buster up and fires a potent laser at Vent. Vent fires a charged shot, but it dissipates under Geminiman's attack and the laser connections with his buster.

_Ugh my arm! I need to use a different form for this._ "Rock-on!" Vent's armor becomes red as a green beam saber materializes in his hands.

"DIE!" Prometheus raises his scythe and slashes at Geminiman. Geminiman dodges the attack, but the shockwave caused by the slash hits him in the chest and sends him back. "Time to end this!"

Prometheus raises his scythe back and prepares to launch a whirlwind attack. Prometheus unleashes the attack, but Geminiman splits before it could hit him. Prometheus stops to find himself surrounded by the two Geminimans as they fire shots at him, knocking him down.

_I need to help him!_ Vent goes towards one of the two attackers and slashes with his ZX Saber. Both of them seem to cringe before retreating to opposite sides of the wall. "Are you alright?" 

"Don't think this means I owe you anything!" Prometheus stands up again as he looks at Vent. "Did you notice it as well?"

"Notice what?"

"You really are clueless, aren't you? When you attacked one of them, both of them get injured." The twins start to fire as Prometheus and Vent turn back to back. Prometheus spins his scythe, deflecting all the shots from one direction as Vent uses his ZX Saber to slash at the shots coming from the other direction.

"Just don't get in my way when I attack." Prometheus goes to the center of the room as flaming spires appear on the wall and floor. Vent barely manages to jump out of the way and both Geminimans are hit by the attack.

"TIME TO FINISH THIS!" Prometheus charges at one of the twins and Vent aims for the other. Prometheus gets out his scythe and Vent draws his ZX Saber.

"Too slow!" The twins disappear before the attacks could connect, leaving Prometheus and Vent confused.

"Where are they!?" Geminiman appears in the middle of the room and shoots out two long laser attacks. Prometheus and Vent manage to dodge it, but he splits into the twins right after as they aim their weaker busters at the two of them.

_It's no good, I've been hit!_One of the Gemini twins appear in front of Vent and punches him the guts. Vent goes down and clutches his stomach in pain as he looks at Prometheus.

Prometheus manages to block some of the attacks with his scythe, but one of them gets through, damaging him in the arm as the two Gemini twins go after him. "Don't underestimate me!"

Prometheus slams his arm into the ground, sending flame spires to materialize. Vent gets hit by the attack as the Gemini twins manage to avoid it. "NOW!"

"Rock-on!" Vent transforms into his FX form and aims his two busters at the twins in the air. The attack sends the twins down as Prometheus grabs onto his scythe as he lunges at them. The twins are pierced by Prometheus's attack as he whirls it around, sending the two of them upwards and almost hitting Vent.

"What are you doing, aren't we supposed to be allies?"

"I told you to not get in the way. Now you take one of them while I take the other." Vent nods as the two Gemini twins charges at them. Vent dashes in one direction as Prometheus goes in the other.

_Time to finish this battle!_ Vent fires his twin busters as the Gemini twin moves closer to him. _He's too quick!_

"I've got you now!" The Gemini twin moves closer to Vent and raises his arm up. Vent uses both his arms to send the Gemini twin back while unleashing a large fireball.

"Don't think you've won this battle yet. I'm just getting started!" 

The Gemini twin starts to circle around Vent as he fires his two busters in every direction, but none of the bullets manage to hit their mark. _This is not good…_ The Gemini twin stops and appears in front of Vent. He sends Vent flying back with his fist and quickly launches a small laser to finish him off.

_I can't let the attack hit me!_ Vent puts his left hand in the way to try and defend himself. The laser stops, but his left buster breaks as the Gemini twin starts to move forward.

_I've got two damaged biometals and one that I'm too scared to use, not to mention now I only have half my artillery. To top it all off, my partner's Prometheus. Today is not my lucky day…_

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The Gemini twin fires at Prometheus as he deflects the attack with his scythe. The Gemini twin moves forward and sends his fist at Prometheus's scythe, sending him slightly back.

"Is that all you've got?" Prometheus puts his scythe behind him as he dashes at the Gemini twin. Prometheus draws his weapon as the Gemini twin jumps out of the way. Prometheus unleashes a large wave but the Gemini twin disappears before the attack could connect.

_Where is he!?_ Prometheus feels a blast from behind as he quickly turns to find his enemy. "There you are. DON'T TRY TO RUN FROM ME!" Prometheus slams the ground, but the Gemini twin dodges the attack. 

"Don't think the same trick will work on me more than twice!" The Gemini twin fires a laser as it shots Prometheus in the shoulder, sending electricity gushing out.

"If that's so, then I'll just use another attack!" Prometheus teleports to the center of the screen and four dark orbs surround him and the Gemini twin. The orbs start to shoot out dark flames as the Gemini twin tries to dodge the attack.

The attacks are launched in all directions, and the Gemini twin couldn't avoid it and gets hit multiple times. The four orbs disappear and Prometheus lunges at the Gemini twin from the air.

Prometheus's scythe appears in his hands as he slashes at the Gemini twin. "It's over now." The twin starts to flicker and laugh.

"It's not over yet! You need to defeat both of us to win!" 

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Vent watches as the Gemini twin starts to change. His armor buster becomes slightly larger as does his whole figure.

"Looks like I've been forced back into one body. Oh well, I can take care of the other nuisance as soon as I destroy you." Geminiman fires one potent laser at Vent as he rolls out of the way, barely avoiding the attack and reverting back to human form.

"This next attack won't miss, got any last words?" Geminiman points his buster at Vent. Vent looks on the ground at the scattered biometals. Vent stares at Model O as it starts to call out to him. _Can I really risk using it again, after what happened last time?_ Vent's hand reaches for Model O as Geminiman charges his buster.

"Out of the way, brat!" Vent recognizes Prometheus's voice, and quickly grabs all the biometals before backing away. Prometheus, with his body engulfed in flames, falls from the sky and crashes into Geminiman. Prometheus jumps out of the way, leaving a heavily injured Geminiman.

"You'll pay… for that…"

"You're in no condition to talk right now." Prometheus looks at Vent. "Since I'm feeling nice today, I'll let you deliver the finish blow."

Vent nods as he clutches onto Model Z and X. "Rock-on!" Vent drives his ZX Saber through Geminiman, causing electricity to surge through his body. "It's over now."

Vent and Prometheus warp out of the room as Geminiman explodes. _Aile, I hope ou have better luck working with Pandora than I had with Prometheus, because if you don't, we'll both be staying at the medic wing again._

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The next battle will be Aile and Pandora vs. an unchosen Robot Master before a brief break from the Robot Master battles.


	16. Chapter 15: Manipulator of Metal

Well, I forgot about Geminiman's laser's ability to bounce off the walls, but let's just say that it doesn't do that when they split, even though they can't even launch the laser when they split in the game. Anyways, here's the next chapter:

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_I guess Vent isn't here…_ Aile raises her buster and fires at three nearby mechaniloids. "Prairie, you there?"

_I'm not getting a signal, must be something nearby…_ "Aile... connection has been restored. This area is where they mine and refine metal. Vent has been sent to the other location with Prometheus, so find Pandora and defeat the one in charge."

"Vent's with Prometheus!?"

"Yes, though I'm sure he'll be alright. I won't be able to keep the connection up for long. Good luck and be careful, Aile." Prairie cuts off the transmission and Aile ducks as a mechaniloid flies past her and explodes.

"Pandora! Prometheus and Vent are at the other location…"

"I figured that out…" Pandora starts to move on as Aiel slowly follows her from behind. _What should I try to do? Start up a conversation?_

"So… Pandora… what's it like to have worked with Prometheus, Phantom, and Model W?" Pandora stops for a moment and turns. _Oh no, is she going to attack!? Maybe I hit a sore topic._ Aile ducks but sees that Pandora isn't reaching for her weapon.

"Peachy." Pandora answers in a very flat tone as Aile realizes it was the answer to her question. _She sure isn't much of a talker._ Pandora turns and keeps on moving as Aile slowly follows her from behind.

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Pandora stops at the door and looks at Aile. "Go in." Aile looks at the door as she starts to think over her options. _If I go in first, then Pandora can just backstab me from behind. I'll also be the target of any incoming attacks or surprises. Still, I don't think arguing with her will be of any use… here I go._

Aile opens the door and walks in to find no unexpected surprises. "You can come in now." Pandora slowly walks in and inspects the room. 

"What do we have here? Two unexpected trespassers have wandered in the area." Aile and Pandora turn to find a bulky red and white reploid. His armor is in the shape of a magnet curving upwards and he his helmet is in the shape of a magnet as well.

"You're the one in charge around here. I take it that you're working for Shademan."

"Yes. I am Magnetman. It feels good to finally be back after all these years. That armor of yours reminds me of a certain person I used to know." Aile raises her buster at Magnetman and fires.

Just as Aile fires, her arm is pulled toward the ground by an unknown force. The blast misses and Aile raises her arm up again. _What was that? I couldn't controlmy own movements for a moment…_ Aile looks at Magnetman to see that he has his hand raised and it seems to be glowing.

"Move." Pandora raises her halberd and electricity starts to form on the tip. Four streaks of electric orbs shoot out of her halberd and goes forward to Magnetman.

"Don't make me laugh." Magnetman raises his other hand as a strange barrier surrounds Pandora. The electric streaks stop and violently jerk backwards, knocking Pandora to the ground.

"What?" Pandora grips onto her halberd as she stands up from the attack.

"I control magnetism itself! I can target any metal, including your armor. Electric attacks are useless against me." A magnet appears on Magnetman's hand and aims at Aile. "Now, prepare to be destroyed. Magnet Missile!"

Aile tries to run away from the incoming magnet, but isn't able to move. _My feet are stuck on the floor! Guess there's only one thing to do._ Aile reverts back to her human form and manages to avoid the magnet.

Pandora swipes at the magnet with her halberd, destroying it before turning to Aile. "Behind you," Aile turns to find Magnetman charging at her.

Aile tries to run, but Magnetman catches up and tackles her, knocking her down to the ground. "You are free from my control in this form, but it leaves you defenseless. I have plenty of other ways to attack." 

Aile hears the clunk of metal against the floor getting closer to her as she opens her eyes. _Where's the biometals?_ Aile desperately searches in her pockets as the footsteps stop.

"It's over now." Aile opens her eyes in time to find Magnetman with a large magnet in his hand. Magnetman prepares to throw it, but a large crystal projectile hits himfrom behind and interrupts his attack. 

"Pandora!" Aile stands up as she looks at the white and blue reploid. "Why did you help me?"

"Having you alive will make this easier." Pandora looks at Magnetman as he attempts to stand back up. "Electric attacks may not work, but I've still got plenty of ice attacks."

Pandora summons another large ice object and it bounces on the ground and lands on Magnetman, crushing him down again. "Aren't you going to fight?"

"Huh? Oh… right." Aile searches her pocket for a suitable biometal. "Rock-on!" Aile grabs onto Model X and L to transform.

"It's over now!" Pandora raises her halberd and brings it down on Magnetman. Magnetman smirks as he raises his hand up. "What!? I can't… move…"

"I can manipulate magnetism, you're powerless against me." Magnetman raises his other hand as a pile of metal floats into the air. Magnetman brings his hand down as the metals pile onto Pandora. Pandora lets out a scream before her voice dies down.

_He defeated… Pandora…_ Aile grips onto her halberd and creates an ice block in front of her. She pushes it forward at Magnetman.

"Is that the best that you can do?" Magnetman punches the block as it shatters into tiny pieces of ice. "I thought that you would be more of a challenge. What!?" An ice dragon hits Magnetman from behind and Aile twirls her halberd to knock Magnetman down.

_I need to finish this off quickly!_ Aile raises her halberd to do just that, but Magnetman notices and counters. "Magnet Missile!" 

The attack stops Aile before she could swing her Halberd down and Magnetman follows up by tackling Aile to the ground. "I've had enough of playing around!"

_I can't move my body!_ Magnetman moves closer as a large purple orb forms in his hand. "Even if you do manage to move by some miracle, I doubt that you'll be able to escape from my attack now that you're attracted to the ground."

"This is far from over." The pile of metal scatters as Pandora comes out. Magnetman quickly turns and fires the attack at Pandora, but she teleports away before it manages to make contact.

_I can move normally again!_ Aile grabs onto her halberd and slashes at Magnetman. Electricity starts to surge through his wounds as he tries to stand back up. "Fact it, Magnetman, you're done for!" 

"It's time to end this!" Pandora removes two parts from her helmet as they start to circle around Magnetman and fire Ice Missiles. Aile summons an ice dragon to attack as Magnetman tries to stand up. 

"Don't underestimate me!" Magnetman raises his arms as scraps of metal surround him, shielding him from Pandora and Aile's attack.

"It didn't work." Aile prepares to attack again as the parts reattach to Pandora's helmet. Light bursts out of Magnetman's armor of scrap as they all scatter in every direction. Shards of metal hit Pandora and Aile, causing her to revert back to her human form. 

_Where is he?_ Aile gets tackled from both sides as she sees a blue Magnetman and red Magnetman. Pandora prepares to attack again, but is dragged down to the ground and met with a Magnet Missile.

"I'll make the two of you pay!" A large dark orb forms in Magnetman's hand as Aile stands up. Pandora tries to do the same, but is stuck to the ground by Magnetman. _I need to help her!_

"It's over!" Magnetman slams the orb into the ground, causing a huge blast to engulf the area, damaging both Aile and Pandora, but leaving him unharmed.

Magnetman moves forward and raises Aile up by grabbing her on the neck. "I have to say, you did pretty well for a human. The two of you almost managed to defeat me, but in the end, it wasn't enough."

A dark orb forms in Magnetman's free arm as he looks at Aile. "I'll finish you off first, and then I'll destroy your friend over there."

"That's your first mistake!" Streaks of electricity shoot out of Pandora's halberd and damage Magnetman as he lets go of Aile.

"You'll pay for that!" Pandora falls to the ground as Magnetman lowers his hand. _Now's my chance!_

"Rock-on!" Aile grabs onto Model H and X to transform as she slashes at Magnetman with he two blades. Pandora stands up and teleports as Aile grabs onto Magnetman, bring him into the air.

"Let go of me!" Aile feels her body getting heavier as she lets go of Magnetman and falls down. Magnetman raises his hands and gets surrounded by an aura, keeping him floating.

"Above you." Magnetman looks up just in time to see two parts separate from Pandora's helmet. The parts float into the two upper corners of the room to create a large lightning bema together.

Pandora teleports away as Magnetman stops floating and falls while trying to stop the attack. Before Magnetman could move his arms again, the lightning beam crashes into Magnetman, cutting him in two.

"It's time to go now." Aile nods as she reverts back to her human form. The two of them warp out as Magnetman explodes. 

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**Guardian HQ**

Vent, Aile, Prometheus, and Pandora all teleport back into the room in unison as Prairie waits for them.

"Is there anything else for us to do?"

"There's no need. The others will be done in a few moments, and then we'll discuss our next course of action." Just as Prairie finishes talking, X, Zero, Leviathan, Fefnir, Harpuia, and Edge enter the room.

"How'd it go for you four?" Zero looks at Vent, Aile, Prometheus, and Pandora, noticing the wounds on all four of them, but mainly on the two humans. "Gotten into a big fight?"

"Me and Prometheus fought Geminiman." Vent proclaims, proud of his achievement. Prometheus just snorts.

"Don't you mean to say I fought Geminiman and you merely got in the way?" Vent lunges at Prometheus, but Aile stops him.

"Come on, Pandora. Let's get out of this room. I can't stand being around everyone here." Pandora nods as the two of them leave. 

"What's their problem?" Aile just shrugs at Vent's question as X clears his throat, getting everyone's attention.

"While we were fighting, we noticed that the standards of everyone weren't as high as the Maverick Hunters, Neo Arcadia, and the Resistance." Zero and Harpuia nod to show their approval.

"That's why the five of us decided that we'll help with your training and teach the basics of battle." Zero finishes for X and then looks at Prairie. "Can you show us to the training room?" 

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**Training Room**

"I don't see what's so hard about this." Vent looks unimpressed at the targets in front of everyone in the room. Other Guardians were practicing shooting, getting the occasional bulls-eye and sometimes even missing the target completely.

"Well, it's time to turn this up a notch." Zero presses a switch as the room becomes completely dark. "Now try to shoot the target." Zero presses another button as the sound of movement gets into the ears of the two chosen ones.

"I can't see anything, what's happening?" Aile barely manages to get out her gun as her eyes tries to adjust to the darkness. "There's no light in here at all!"

"Exactly! Now the only things any of you have to go on are the sounds of movement from the target. The point of this exercise is to not always rely on your eyesight."

Vent and Aile make a nodding sound as the sound of bullets hitting the wall. After a few shots, X presses a switch as light enters the room. Everyone sighs to find their shots not even close to the target. Vent and Aile are no exception.

Prairie chuckles, amused at their failure as the two chosen ones double over in pain. "Well, the two of you better go to the medic wing." Vent and Aile nod as they leave the room.

Prairie scans the room to find the only ones who manage to hit the targets were X, Zero, Leviathan, Harpuia, Fefnir, and Edge. Everyone except Edge got almost all bulls-eyes and Edge manages to get them pretty close.

"Well, trainings over for today. You all better go and get your injuries attended to." All the Guardians leave the room as Edge's cell phone rings. He leaves quickly to answer it as Prairie turns off the lights, making the room completely dark.

"You coming, Forte?"

"Just a minute, I want to see something." Prairie nods as she closes the door, locking out the last bit of light. Prairie walks away as she hears gunshots from the training room. Forte walks out after a few seconds and Prairie watches him go.

_I wonder how well he did._ Prairie enters the room and turns on the lights to gasp in surprise. Holes are now in the dead-center of every target in the room. 

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"What is it, Girouette?" Edge goes into a secluded hallway as he presses the phone against his ears. "Very well, begin the attack tomorrow. I want to see the faces on the chosen ones when they find their old boss attacking Innerpeace."

Edge turns off the phone and laughs silently to himself. "They actually think they've gotten rid of me, but soon, they'll see the truth." Edge puts his phone away and walks to his room. 

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Can any of you guys guess Edge's true identity yet? You'll have to think really hard to figure it out, and I've made it kind of tricky and some of you guys will probably think it doesn't make sense once I reveal it. Anyways, remember to read and review.


	17. Chapter 16: Girouette's Return

Well, none of you guys managed to guess Edge's true identity, but that was expected. Anyways, here's the next chapter:

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**Guardian HQ**

Vent wakes up and looks below from the top bunk to find Aile still asleep. _She's usually awake before me._ Vent grabs a nearby pointy object and pokes Aile with it.

Poke. Poke.

"Five more minutes, Boss." Aile turns as Vent stops for a moment. _Is she having a dream about when Boss was still alive? I wanted to be there to save him, but I couldn't do anything in the end…_

Aile wakes up and rubs her eyes for a moment. "What time is it?" 

"It's nine in the morning." Aile checks the clock to confirm Vent's message. "You haven't slept in like this since that time you ran across Innerpeace delivering packages." Both of them smile for a second, but it turns into a frown as they remember the death of their beloved boss.

"Vent, do you ever miss him?"

"Yes… All the time." Vent looks down to the ground for a moment, thinking of something else appropriate to say.

"Well, I'm sure he would be proud of us right now. We've managed to defeat Serpent and protect Innerpeace. Come on, Vent, let's go." Vent nods, slightly comforted by Aile's words, as he leaves the room.

"Well, at least we still have each other." 

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"The two of you want to practice your shooting again?" Zero turns from the Guardians shooting at the targets as Vent and Aile enters the room.

"Actually, we were hoping for some other type of training." Vent looks at the Guardians shooting at their targets. The lights are on, and they seem to be doing okay.

"Decided to give up after your last failure, huh? Fine then, come this way." Zero leads Vent and Aile into another door and opens it, revealing a large, empty room. Zero hands Vent and Aile two long pieces of metal. 

"The rules are simple, one of you have to hit me with that. It'll help you with close distance combat and strategy." Vent and Aile nod as Zero dashes. The two of them reach into their pockets as Zero speaks again. "One more thing, no biometals allowed. You have to try this in your human forms."

"What!?" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

X walks along the hall the hall and finds Edge. Edge has his ears to a cell phone as X goes forward to greet him, but stops as the Edge's conversation reaches his ears.

"Alright, position the troops around Innerpeace. I'll take care of the rest." Edge closes the cell phone and dashes off. X pursues him, but gets the hallway splits into two different paths.

_When did he get that fast? This is bad, there's only a small chance I'll be able to catch up with him, I better tell the others._ X turns back as he runs to the Commander's Room to find Prairie. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Vent and Aile start to pant as they chase Zero across the room. "This isn't fair! You can run way faster than us!"

"A lot of other people can. That's the whole point of this exercise." Aile dashes to the other side as the two of them close in on Zero, trapping him into the wall.

"It's over now! You have no where else to run." Zero smiles as he jumps up the wall and flips off, landing behind Vent and Aile. "Oh, come on!"

Vent and Aile prepare to run at Zero again, but the ground starts to shake. "What the heck was that!?" Vent rubs his head as he stands back up.

"Trouble. Let's continue this later. Right now, we need to go see Ciel and Prairie to find out what's wrong." The two chosen ones nod as they follow Zero out of the room. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"What's going on?" Zero, Vent, and Aile rush into the room to find everyone else already there.

"The engines have been damaged, Guardian HQ is falling down." Ciel looks at Zero. "X just informed us that he saw Edge talking to someone on the phone suspiciously and he's been missing since."

"He decided to betray us. I had a feeling that something wasn't right about him." Vent looks around the room. "Did Prometheus and Pandora have a hand in any of this as well?"

"Well, the mighty chosen one have stooped to talking about us behind our backs." Prometheus and Pandora enter the room as Vent's eyes turn to them. "We've been in our rooms the whole time. If you don't believe me, then just check the security cameras you put in there." 

"The airship has fallen to the ground, we're surrounded by mechaniloids!" Prairie types in a few co-ordinates as pictures of Galleon Hunters and Pantheons appear on the screen. "Pantheons!?" 

An operator hits more keys as red dots appear on the monitor. "Innerpeace is surrounded by hundreds of mechaniloids as well. There's too many of them!"

"Vent, Aile, X, and Zero, go to Innerpeace and defend the citizens. Everyone else defend the base." The four of them leave the room as Prairie gets out a speaker to make an announcement to the rest of the Guardians. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace**

"There's too many of them! We need more backup." Vent fires at a Galleon Hunter, just to be attacked by a Pantheon from behind.

"Stay together!" Zero yells through the crowd as mechaniloids are tossed through the air. "We need to get rid of any openings." X, Aile, and Vent nod as the four of them stay close, shooting at all directions.

"Is there an end to them!?" Vent fires again, but the destroyed mechaniloids are quickly replaced. A pantheon jumps up and lunges at Vent, but is taken down by guns.

"We're here to help!" Guardians rush into the battle as they shoot at the mechaniloids. Vetn nods as he raises his X Buster and fires, destroying a whole line of enemies.

"That's more like it!" After destroying a few more mechaniloids, a large light beam comes out of the ground, separating Zero and X from Vent and Aile.

X tries to go after the two chosen ones, but mechaniloids block his way as he keeps on shooting. "It's no use, there's too many of them!"

"Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be alright." Zero and X continue to fight off the mechaniloids with the help of the Guardians, leaving Vent and Aile alone to fight for themselves. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Where are the others?" Vent and Aile dash and destroy the mechaniloids as they try to search for the other Guardians, X, and Zero. "Where are all these mechaniloids coming from!?"

"This ends here, chosen ones." Vent and Aile turn to find a blond haired figure with a purple visor and dark red armor. In his hand, the figure holds a green saber.

"Boss! How are you still alive?" Aile looks at Girouette and notices the change in his armor. "Something's wrong, Vent, his armor is a different shade of red than usual."

"Boss, what's happening out there?" Aile motions for Vent to back away as Girouette draws his saber.

"He shouldn't even be able to Rock-on now that we have Model Z. Something definitely isn't right. Look out!" Girouette charges at Vent and slashes him with his saber. Vent falls down to the ground 

"What are you doing!?" Aile raises her buster at Girouette as she starts to shake. "I don't want to fight you again, Boss, please stop this!"

"If you surrender now, then perhaps I'll let you live. If you two want to survive, then join the winning side." Aile fires the buster, but Girouette easily avoids the attack. "Weaklings like you don't stand a chance."

"Whoever you are… there's no way you're Girouette!" Vent stands up as he starts to cough. "There's no way the Girouette I knew would say those things. Rock-on!" Vent transforms into Model ZX as he gets out his ZX Saber.

"I don't want to fight him again, Vent." Aile looks at Vent, and then at Girouette. "There has to be another way."

"If we don't fight, then we'll get killed. Think about how Boss would feel if he came back to his senses to realize that he's killed us. We have to do this." Aile weakly nods as she raises her buster. 

"Talking isn't going to help you defeat me!" Girouette jumps into the air to dive at Vent. Vent blocks the incoming saber with his own as Aile fires her buster. "Too slow!"

Girouette turns in the air while tossing Vent, throwing him into the incoming blast. Girouette grabs onto Vent and tosses him to Aile, knocking her down as he stabs his blade into the ground.

Light beams shoot out of the ground as Vent and Aile are knocked into the air. The two of them revert back to their human forms and Girouette closes in on them with his Z-Saber in the air.

"It's over now." Girouette brings the saber down and stops as he hears Aile scream. "Vent… Aile…" Aile looks at Girouette for a moment to see the same blue eyes she always knew through the visor. 

"GAAHHH!" A dark light surrounds Girouette as he looks at them again, this time with his eyes covered by the darkness of the visor.

"Rock-on!" Vent transforms into his FX form as Aile goes into her PX form. The two of them separate and surround Girouette, unleashing shurikens and fireballs at him.

Girouette jumps out of the way to avoid the attack and dashes at Aile with his Z-Saber. "Look out!" Vent fires a fireball as Aile throws a shuriken. Girouette disappears just as the attacks are about to hit him.

Vent gets the breath knocked out of him from Aile's attack as Aile gets burned by the fireball. "The two of you are pathetic!" Girouette appears behind Vent and lifts him up by the neck. "In the end, the two of you will never have enough power to defeat me!"

Girouette throws Vent into the sky and jumps up. He dashes downwards to deliver a slash at Vent and kicks off the wall to attack again. A shuriken stops his movement as Aile catches Vent in her arms.

"Gotcha!" Aile lowers the boy as two shurikens appear one on each hand. "He's a lot stronger than last time." Vent nods as he prepares his twin buster. "NOW!"

Girouette lowers to the ground as Aile and Vent unleash their attacks. Girouette dodges one shuriken and a few fireballs, but the shuriken turns in the air and hits him from behind.

The force of the attack pushes Girouette into the other shuriken and a large fireball, sending him down to the ground. "Don't think you've beaten me yet." Girouette stands back up as electricity surges through his body.

Vent and Aile flinch as they look at Girouette. _This is just like last time…_ Girouette stabs the ground, sending light waves at Vent and Aile, knocking them back.

"Vent, Aile are you two there!?" The voice of Zero calls out as the two chosen ones get back up.

"We'll have to continue this another time."

"Wait!" Vent tries to stop the red reploid, but he teleports out just before he could touch him. Vent turns to Aile. "Do you think things will be like last time?"

"I don't know." Aile thinks back to the last fight with Girouette and compares it to the one they just had. "For a moment there, it seems that he was back to normal. He could have finished us off, but something stopped him."

X and Zero appear to find the beaten up chosen ones. "Come on, you two, let's get back to base." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Outside Guardian HQ**

Harpuia, Leviathan, and Fefnir fight off the mechaniloids in one area as Pandora and Prometheus destroy everything in sight. The Guardians start to fall down from the massive numbers of the mechaniloids as the five of them keep on fighting.

"The five of you are in a tight spot over there." The mechaniloids seem to stop and make way as Edge appears.

"You are the one behind this!" Harpuia raises his dual blades as he prepares to fight. "You've threatened too many lives for me to let you leave this place alive."

"We'll just see if you can really defeat me." A bright light starts to surround Edge as he transforms. His black hair grows and changes to a silver color as his clothing starts to change as well. "I don't think I'll need that disguise any longer."

"You… how are you still alive, Yuriskah?" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Yeah, most of you guys probably though Yuriskah was long gone when Kid Forte appeared. I thought that none of you guys would get it right. Remember to R&R


	18. Chapter 17: Yuriskah's Machine

Hey guys, I've been pretty busy with school lately, so I couldn't update. Anyways, here's a new chapter for you all to enjoy:

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**Outside Guardian HQ**

"Well, all of you seem like you're surprised to see me still alive." Yuriskah makes a movement with his hand as the mechaniloids stop and gather around him.

"What exactly are you? There can't be two Fortes at once." Harpuia readies his blades as the mechaniloids raise their weapons. "Aile and Vent saw you transform back into Forte when Shademan attacked." 

"When Shademan attacked me back then, apart of the power I was absorbing and some of my own separated from me. I managed to teleport out in time to save myself, and the aforementioned power started to merge together with what was left of Forte in Ragnarok to create the kid you know."

"It doesn't matter who you are. I will stop anyone who disturbs the peace." Harpuia unsheathes his twin sabers as the others start to engage in combat with Yuriskah's mechaniloids.

"You don't stand a chance this time." A purple saber appears in Yuriskah's hand as Harpuia charges. Yuriskah blocks the attack and pushes Harpuia back. "I don't need the biometals to fight anymore."

Armor appears on Yuriskah's leg, shoulders, arms, chest, and waist. "Once I merge with Forte, I will be complete." Yuriskah's blade changes to a light blue color as he points it at Harpuia.

_I can feel the air getting colder around him. He's using an ice element saber against me._ Yuriskah charges at Harpuia and slashes in an arc. Harpuia manages to jump up and stay suspended in the air. 

"You fell right into my trap." Yuriskah raises his blade as it transforms into a halberd. Two ice dragons appear from the ground and two from the air. Harpuia turns on his jets and flies upwards, but is hit by the higher dragons.

_I can't stop my descent!_ The two dragons push Harpuia down into the ones rising from the ground. The dragons disappear, crushing Harpuia's jets and damaging his limbs. Harpuia falls down to the ground as Yuriskah moves forward.

"Just because I'm not using the biometals doesn't mean I can't use their attacks. I've completely merged with the biometals I've created to gain more power. Soon, all of you will fall before me." Yuriskah's halberd transforms into a saber again.

"Yuriskah!" Prometheus rips through a mechaniloid and slashes at Yuriskah, knocking him down. "I've wanted to defeat you since I first saw you. This time, there's nothing stopping me."

"Did you forget the fact that you can't win? That should be able to stop you pretty well."

"DIE!" Prometheus charges at Yuriskah with his scythe, but Yuriskah jumps out of the way. Yuriskah brings out another blade as he charges at Prometheus.

"Too slow!" Prometheus spins his scythe, propelling himself upwards as he attacks Yuriskah. Prometheus lands on the ground as he looks at Yuriskah on his knees. "Is that the best that you can do?" 

"Look behind you to find out." Prometheus quickly turns to find a heavy fist Pantheon. The pantheon rams his fist into Prometheus, knocking him straight into Yuriskah's saber. Yuriskah pierces Prometheus chest and uses his other blade to slash him away.

Prometheus falls down to the ground as Yuriskah looks at the other reploids fighting his army. "This is too easy." His twin blades disappear to be replaced by a sniper buster. He points the end of the buster at Fefnir and fires, getting the red reploid in the back and bringing him down.

Yuriskah aims again, but jumps out of the way as lightning hits the ground he was standing on. He turns to find Harpuia with his lades raised. "You can still move, huh? Guess this'll be a bit more challenging than I first thought."

"Don't forget me!" Prometheus charges at Yuriskah with his scythe, knocking him down. Harpuia raises his blades as lightning strikes Yuriskah down.

"You've lost, Yuriskah. Come with us peacefully." Harpuia points his two blades at the humanoid as Yuriskah's armor disperses.

"This isn't over yet." Yuriskah brings out two small knifes from his coat and prepares to attack Prometheus and Harpuia, but a fireball nails him from behind.

"Since you shot me in the back, I thought I deserved that one." Fefnir lowers his twin saber as Yuriskah tries to get back up.

"Don't even bother trying." Ice dragons and electric snakes attack Yuriskah from the sides as Pandora and Leviathan appear. "We've got you surrounded and outnumbered. Your army has been destroyed." 

"I still have one trick left!" Yuriskah raises his hand as the scrap parts from his fallen mechaniloids start to merge into one large pile. The pile transforms into a large round metal creature with a red eye in the middle and four limbs popping out.

"I'd like you all to meet my Scrap Devil. I've designed my mechaniloids to be able to merge into that being once they're defeated." Yuriskah teleports out of the way as the gigantic Devil gets closer. 

"That things huge! How are we going to take it down?" Fefnir fires at the advancing giant, not making a single dent in its armor.

"This is just like the one Copy X used on the Resistance assault. We need to target the center."

"If that's the case, then I'll take it down easily." Prometheus jumps into the air as he raises his scythe. A large laser shoots out of its eyes as Pandora drags Prometheus out of the way.

"Don't be so reckless."

"Did you all forget about me?" Pandora and Prometheus move just in time to dodge a blast from Yuriskah's buster. The Scrap Devil's arm transforms into a rocket launcher as Yuriskah fires again.

Pandora and Prometheus are knocked down by the combined power of Yuriskah and his machine, but Harpuia manages to catch the two of them in the air. 

"We need to stick together to win." Pandora and Prometheus give no sign that they heard the green reploid as he dodges the attacks from the Scrap Devil.

"Where do you think you're going?" Yuriskah appears in front of them with two sabers as he prepares to attack.

"Leviathan, now!" Harpuia moves out of the way to reveal an ice dragon behind him. Yuriskah is knocked down from the air as the three reploids land.

"Watch out!" Leviathan shouts at Harpuia as a large claw comes down. Pandora and Prometheus manage to jump out of the way, but Harpuia receives a direct hit. "Harpy!"

"I'll be okay… I can still fight." Harpuia stands back up again and looks up to find the Scrap Devil preparing for another strike.

"Oh no you don't!" Fefnir fires a large fireball at the eye of the Scrap Devil as it recoils from the strike.

"Attack now!" Flames, electricity, and ice attacks start to shoot forward at the Scrap Devil, but a barrier forms around it as the attack falls harmlessly to the ground. "Yuriskah!"

"Now let's see you all try to dodge this attack." The Scrap Devil's eye starts to glow as a stream of laser hits the ground in front of it. It starts to raise its head as the laser moves forward to the reploids.

"Get out of the way!" They separate into two groups in time to avoid the attack, but Yuriskah starts firing rapidly from his buster, hitting them all as they try to avoid the laser.

"Now, Scrap Devil, do it!" A large metal claw swipes across the ground, hitting all the injured reploids.

"I can't move." Harpuia grabs his arm as electricity flows out. He looks around to find the others in no better condition than him. 

"It's amazing how quick the tides can change, isn't it? Now, Scrap Devil, finish them!" The Scrap Devil's eye starts to glow again, aiming at the immobile reploids. A large purple blast hits it right before it fires, knocking down the Scrap Devil.

Another purple blast hits it dead center, destroying the Scrap Devil completely. Yuriskah looks across to find the new reploid on the battlefield. "You can fight after all, Forte."

"I've come here to stop you. I won't let you get any farther!" Forte's arm transforms into a buster as he charges it and aims at Yuriskah. 

"Tell me, Forte, why are you with the Guardians?" Forte stops charging the attack, speechless at the question. "That's what I thought, you don't even know. The only reason is probably because they found you first."

"What they're doing is right! I will protect everyone, even if it costs me my own life." Forte looks at Yuriskah, expecting an attack, but Yuriskah doesn't even draw a weapon.

"You've lost you're memories and are confused right now. I am just like you in every way, except that I still remember who I am. You're not made for this, Forte. Sooner or later, you'll realize what's really important. Come with me, and I'll answer all your questions, and teach you how to unlock your true power."

Forte lowers his buster as he starts to shake. Harpuia looks at the scene in front of him. _Yuriskah is taking advantage of Forte's childlike mind. If he succeeds, then he could finish us all._

"I…" Forte thinks about everyone in Guardian HQ, especially Prairie. He remembers the problems he's caused and the doubts that plague his mind everyday. "I won't join someone like you! Even if you are a part of me, I won't allow you to hurt any of my friends!" 

"You'll just see how worthless your friends are soon enough. If that's the way it has to be right now, then so be it." Yuriskah raises his blade, but stops as he hears a noise. "Girouette didn't finish the job. Forte, we will meet again, and when we do, I'll take your power by force."

Yuriskah teleports away as X, Zero, Vent, and Aile arrive. "What happened here?" Aile looks at everyone lying on the ground and at Forte. 

"Yuriskah's still alive." Prometheus manages to talk between breaths. "He attacked us with a machine of his."

"Alright, let's get them back to base." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Ciel and Prairie's Room**

"Forte, are you there?" Prairie enters the room to find the reploid child on the bed, looking at his own hands intensely. "Want to tell me what's bothering you?"

"It's nothing…"

"Don't lie to me, Forte. Harpuia and Leviathan told me about what happened between you and Yuriskah. If there's anything bothering you, you can always share it with me."

"What was I like back then? Back when I was complete?" Forte looks at Prairie as he thinks back to Yuriskah's words. "Was I really like him?"

"I suppose in some ways, you were a bit like Yuriskah." Forte seems to shrink as Prairie says this. "However, there were a lot of good things as well. None of us really considered you as an enemy back then, because you always helped us when times were tough. If it wasn't for you, none of us might even be here right now."

Forte seems to be comforted by Prairie's words as he rests his head on her shoulders. "Prairie?"

"Yeah?" 

"There's one thing I know that Yuriskah's wrong about. I do belong here. Would you still stay with me even if I return back to the way I was before?"

"Of course I would, Forte. Remember that I'm always here for you, no matter what happens, or what you become. You and Yuriskah are two completely different people, so don't let what he said bother you." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

You guys can probably guess how Forte will return back to his normal form now, but I'll put in a few twists when that happens.

Remember to R&R, and the next few chapters will return back to the battle with the Robot Masters before Yuriskah makes his next move.


	19. Chapter 18: Turmoil in Inner

Well, I've been a bit busy lately with school and other things, but here's a new chapter for all of you to read. As for the Robot Master idea, I used that a bit to write this chapter:

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**Guardian HQ**

"What are you doing up so early, Forte?" Ciel walks into the library to find Forte inside, reading a book about machinery. "Not even Prairie's up yet."

"I want toed to be able to do something about all of this…" Forte looks up from his book to find Ciel. "Everyone else is out there fighting when the Irregulars attack. I want to be able to fight as well!"

"I see…" Ciel looks at the small black reploid, remembering everything that Forte was able to do in the battle against Omega and Weil. _Ever since the incident with Yuriskah, he's been becoming more like he was back then._

"Well, I guess there's nothing that any of us can do to stop you, but you shouldn't feel pressured about doing this. For now, you're still just a kid, so enjoy your life while you still can." Forte just nods while Ciel grabs a book from the shelf and leaves.

_"Come with me, and I'll answer all your questions, and teach you to unlock your true power"_ Forte tries to get the voice out of his mind, but it stays there, just like the subconscious voice that tells a human to breath.

Forte forces Yuriskah's voice out of his mind as he reads on about the weaponry of a basic humanoid and reploid. Forte's arm transforms into a buster as he slams the table in frustration. _This isn't getting me anywhere! I need more than some books written by second rate scientists who don't know the first thing about combat._

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**Training Room**

"Alright, today we'll be working on your ability to dodge attacks. No matter how strong your attacks are, it's not going to do any good if your weapons are destroyed before the battle begins." Zero hands Vent and Aile the biometals he and X confiscated for the last exercise. 

"Alright, you can run anywhere in the whole area of the practice room as X tries to shoot at you. If he shoots each of you twenty times, then you lose. You have to be able to dodge X for ten minutes."

"Uhh… Zero?" X tries to speak, but Zero doesn't seem to be listening. 

"I would have been the one shooting myself if I could, but Ciel needs to examine my Z-Buster right now. Anyways, Model HX, ZX, and PX are prohibited for this exercise."

"Why not!?" Aile and Vent whine at being unable to use their fastest biometals. "We can move faster in our human form!"

"That's the point, you can either decide to take more damage in exchange for speed, or sacrifice speed for armor." X pokes Zero as he talks. "What, X?"

"I can't shoot a human. I'm a pacifist and a reploid…"

"Human, humanoid, reploid, their all pretty much the same thing now anyways! You don't seem to have any trouble attacking me!"

"That's very different!" As the two reploids argue, the door opens and the small Forte steps in. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to train here and join the battle." X and Zero nod slowly, but Aile and Vent is a bit reluctant.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let him battle? He's just a small kid! He could get scarred for life!"

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be fine." Zero turns to Forte. "Anyways, since X refuses to fight with any allies other than me, I guess you'll have to do. Do you know how to use any busters?" Forte nods. "Alright, on my count, try your best to get as many hits in as possible."

"GO!" Vent and Aile use Model FX to defend themselves against any unexpected attacks as Forte transforms his arms into two busters. "OH, WAIT..." 

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**Cafeteria**

"You're finally up, huh?" Ciel looks as Prairie sits down on the table. Leviathan and Fefnir are competing over the six hundredth hand held consolecreated by Nintendo. Harpuia has his next to his food as he calmly steers his cart into first place by bombing Fefnir.

"HEY!" Fefnir presses the forward button, but Leviathan rams him from behind with her blue cart, knocking him out of bounds. They stop their game as the sound of bullets is heard. Screams of pain come from the training room as Prairie and Ciel look in the direction.

"Vent and Aile don't usually scream during practices. Do you think there's anything wrong over there?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure that Zero probably thought of some new twisted training method and decided to try it on them." Prairie nods, convinced by Ciel's words. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Is it over yet?" Vent lies has his back against the ground in human form and sees Aile isn't doing any better.

"I think so. It was raining bullets back then." Aile digs into her pockets to find Model F and X somewhat damaged.

"Great job, genius, you forgot to explain to him that he wasn't suppose to attack us!" X tries to point his buster at Zero, but electricity flows through his body as he drops it to the ground.

"Were you trying to attack me, Mr. Pacifist?" Zero tries to stand back up again, but collapses on the ground. "I think there are some holes in my armor right now."

"Did I do anything wrong?" Forte looks concerned at the four figures lying on the ground in front of him.

"Oh we're fine. Just peachy." Zero replies and groans as another hole begins to appear on his armor. Forte shrugs and leaves the training room.

"Well, I guess you'll be first in line to see your girlfriend for repairs." Zero tosses his Z-Saber as X makes the remark, almost cutting off his arm.

Zero puts his hands on the ground as he pushes himself upwards. X does the same as the two of them slowly head out of the room.

"I guess we'll be seeing Rose again." Aile just nods at Vent's statement as they both lie on the ground. "Should we try to get up or just wait here."

"Well, I don't feel like moving much right now." Vent and Aile lie next to each other as Vent tries to think of something to say.

"You know, the room can get really cold. If we cuddle together for warmt…" 

"If you wanted more injuries, Vent, I could gladly give them to you. You don't have to ask that way." Vent stops talking at the threatening tone in Aile's voice.

"Well, I'm never looking at a buster the same way again."

"Same here." The two of them shudder as they remember the image of numerous bullets coming out of Forte's buster. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Wow, what happened to you two? Did the mini Xs finally defeat you in practice?" Fefnir is now calling the chosen ones the mini Xs because of the fact that they wear blue in their human form. 

"Forte… training… bullets…" Was all Zero could say before he collapsed onto the table right next to Ciel. X does the same, except onto Zero, knocking the two reploids on the ground.

"Wow, they're both unconscious. Are you going to repair them, Sis?" Prairie looks at the two figures sprawled onto the floor.

"I'm sure they're auto repair systems can handle it." Prairie nods and Forte appears in the room. "Forte, I heard from Ciel that you wanted to fight as well."

"Yeah, there are some things I have to figure out." Forte looks at Praire, wondering what she would say about it.

"Alright, just be careful." Prairie turns back, but a piercing boom is heard as the airship that is Guardian HQ starts to shake violently. 

"What's happening!?" Zero and X wake up in time to find three hand held consoles flying into their faces.

"Sorry, we slipped." Harpuia apologizes as X grabs onto Zero and uses him as a human barrier between him and the incoming objects.

Prairie and Ciel rush into the Command Center, but the floor starts to shake violently again. Ciel loses balance, but Zero manages to catch her. 

"Come on, we need to hurry!" Zero carries Ciel as the base starts shaking even more violently, letting the others follow behind him. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"What's wrong?" The others watch as Ciel, Prairie, and the operators for Guardian HQ start to type rapidly on a computer. The airship stops shaking after a few moments and everyone sighs with relief.

"What's going on here?" Prometheus, Pandora, Vent, and Aile enter the room. "I could have sworn there wouldn't be any chance of rain on the weather report."

Lightning strikes the tree outside, causing it to burst in flames as the monitor shows the flooded streets of Innerpeace. "This isn't any normal weather conditions. Shademan's troops have taken control of a weather control center!"

"The rain will slowly corrode metal. Luckily, we put up a small barrier around the base." Prairie almost falls out of her seat as the base starts to shake again. Everyone else loses balance and Innerpeace is replaced with flying mechaniloids on the monitor. "Shadmeman's mechaniloids are attacking!"

"Where's the control center?" Zero goes to the trans-server as and prepares to type in a co-ordinate.

"You aren't thinking of going in alone, are you?" Ciel looks worriedly, but sees no sing of hesitation in Zero. "Alright, be careful. Take this with you as well." Ciel hands Zero his Z-Buster and types in the co-ordinates for the trans-server.

"Zero…" 

"What is it?"

"Be careful, there's something wrong with your Z-Buster. Its power has weakened somehow."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Defend Innerpeace and Guardian HQ for me while I'm out there." Zero transports himself out of the room, leaving the others to fight the Shademan's army. 

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**Weather Control Center**

"Well, you look pretty tired. I'll spare you the trouble of walking any further and destroy you right now." Zero quickly turns to find no one there.

"Who are you!?"

Dust seems to break apart from the wall as a purple ninja like reploid appears. _He managed to completely camouflage himself and I wasn't even able to sense him!_

"In case you wanted to know the person who stopped you from saving your friends, the name's Shadowman."

"So you're the one that's protecting this area. I'll defeat you and stop this madness!" Zero draws his Z-Saber and slashes it at Shadowman, but the ninja disappears in a puff of smoke.

_Where is he?_ Fire hits Zero from behind and he turns to find three Shadowmans. _Oh great, this is not good._ The three Shadowmans each draw a blade as they charge at the red reploid.

Zero narrowly dodges the first one as the blade scratches his shoulder. _That one has to be real!_ Zero swings his Z-Saber at the Shadowman in front of him, but he vanishes in a puff of smoke. _What!?_

Two swords slash Zero from behind and the extra Shadowman disappears, leaving only one ninja. "My move creates two weaker clones of me. you shouldn't judge your opponents so hastily."

"It's not over yet!" Zero fires a charged shot from his Z-Buster, but Shadowman easily deflects the shot with his katana. _What's happening to me? My power seems to be diminishing._

"I expected the legendary reploid hero and the greatest creation of Dr. Wily to be more of a challenge, but a kill is a kill." Shadowman charges at Zero and swings his katana. Zero jumps into the air, but Shadowman throws a shuriken at his chest, stunning Zero and beginning his descent downwards.

"This should end it!" Shadowman jumps above Zero and swipes his katana. Zero grabs the blade with his bare hands and grips his Z-Saber with his free hand. Zero slashes at Shadowman, sending them both plummeting downwards.

Zero stands up and aims his buster at Shadowman. "It's over now." He points the weapon at the figure lying on the ground and releases the trigger. The moment the blast hits, Shadowman disappears in another puff of smoke.

_I can't see him anywhere! I need to calm down and concentrate._ Zero closes his eyes to not be distracted by anymore tricks and feels a blade pierce him from behind. Zero quickly whips around before the attack finishes and drives his Z-Saber across Shadowman.

Zero's sudden move causes Shadowman's katana to be buried deeper into his chest as both fighters fall down. _I need to stand back up, everyone's counting on me!_ Zero lifts himself off the ground and draws his Z-Saber.

_I need to finish this off now, I'll have to use a stronger form._ Zero lifts his Z-Saber into the air and prepares to transform, but his circuits start to burn up, causing static to surround his body. Zero falls down and Shadowman stands back up again.

_What's wrong with me right now? I've never had any problems transforming before._ Zero tries to stand up as he hears the sounds of Shadowman walking closer to him.

"You've fought a lot better than I expected, but now it's time for you to die." Shadowman raises his katana as Zero tries to move. _My systems aren't responding, I can't do anything, something's wrong with me!_ Zero feels the wind being cut as a shuriken hits Shadowman, knocking him backwards.

"Who's there!?"

"My, my, Zero, I didn't; expect you to fall down to someone like him." Another ninja like reploid enters the room, playing with two katanas. 

"Phantom! What are you doing here!?"

"You can relax, hero. Model W needs the residents of Innerpeace to set his plan in motion. It would be inconvenient if anything happened to them."

"You think you can defeat me? I'll show you the true power of my ninjutsu!" Shadowman charges at Phantom, but Phantom tosses a large shuriken at him. Shadowman disappears in a puff of smoke just as the metal hits.

"Come out and fight me fact to face, coward." Zero watches as Shadowman appears behind Phantom and swipes his katana. Phantom quickly whips around and meets Shadowman's blade with his own.

"Is that the best you can do?" A kunai appears in Phantom's free hand and he tosses it at Shadowman. Shadowman uses his katana to block the incoming object, allowing Phantom to get in a clean slash with his blade.

"This battle is far from over!" Shadowman yells, channeling his power as dozens of clones surround the room.

"This is pathetic." A large shuriken appears on Phantom's hand as he jumps into the air. He throws the shuriken downwards and it starts to separate into kunai flying in every direction.

All of Shadowman's clones are defeated, but Shadowman is nowhere in sight. A hand comes out of the ground to grab onto Phantom's feet, but he just looks down calmly.

"I've got you now!" Shadowman's head appears from the ground and his other hand goes at Phantom with a katana. Phantom grabs the katana with his bare hand and yanks Shadowman into the air.

"This is over." Phantom tosses a kunai upwards, but Shadowman disappears when the attack hits. "You're not the only one who can split." Phantom puts his hands together as he splits into five different figures. They each face one section of the room, waiting for Shadowman to attack.

"DIE!" Shadowman swipes at two Phantoms, destroying them. He prepares to attack again, but notices two bombs in place of where the Phantoms were. The bombs explode, pushing Shadowman back into the edge of a katana. Phantom slices Shadowman in half causing him to explode. 

Phantom directs his attention to Zero. "I see you're able to stand again. You might be useful to Model W soon, I think I'll let you live." Phantom walks to the controls and punches it. Electricity starts to surge through the machine as eh teleports out.

"Well, I guess that's one way to fix a weather problem." Zero sighs as he goes to the trans-server near the area and prepares to leave. _What exactly happened here today? I felt like my powers were being drained slowly. I better talk to Ciel about this._

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Don't worry, Shademan's troops are still attacking, so the attack isn't over yet. Anyways, I made Zero have some system errors, so he lost to Shadowman. Remember to R&R!


	20. Chapter 19: Aftermath of the Storm

Well everyone, I've written a new chapter for you all to enjoy. Right now, it's pretty late so on with the chapter:

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**Outside Guardian HQ**

The dark clouds slowly began to subside as everyone looks up. "Zero completed his mission, but this still isn't over." Aile and Vent look on to find the whole army of mechaniloids waiting for them to make their move.

"We have to get through these enemies quickly and help the humanoids in Innerpeace!" Harpuia lunges at a group of mechaniloids as they begin to make their move.

"Guess we'll have to provide back-up for Harpy now." Leviathan freezes five mechaniloids trying to jump Harpuia from behind and Fefnir starts shooting at all the mechaniloids.

"Rock-on!" Vent and Aile charge their X-Busters and fires it, clearing a large path.

"I'll go to Innerpeace and take care of the situation there, the rest of you stay here and defend Guardian HQ." Flames engulf X as he charges forward at the path Vent and Aile cleared. Any stray mechaniloids in his way were incinerated before he charges out of sight.

"Even after all of that, it still doesn't look like their numbers are becoming any smaller!" Aile charges up her buster again, but stops when streaks of purple lightning strike down the mechaniloids.

"Sorry I'm late. I was occupied with some other grunts." Forte appears from the remains of the scorched mechaniloids with a purple armor. "I've managed to discover a few tricks while fighting."

"There are more of them behind you!" Forte swiftly turns as his armor changes to a green color. Waves of flames shoot out of his buster, incinerating the mechaniloids.

"Did we get all of them?" Vent looks at the corpses of the mechaniloids as their eyes start to glow red again. The damaged mechaniloids slowly begin to stand up, each and every one of them.

"You just had to ask." Aile fires two charge shots, destroying a large number of the reactivated mechaniloids. After three seconds, the mechaniloids stand up again. "How are we suppose to defeat these things!?"

"Give me a bit of time while I scan for their weakness." Harpuia stops for a moment as a visor appears from his helmet. "Buy me some time." Everyone else nods as they prepare for battle.

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**Innerpeace**

X walks in to find the city in chaos. Flames surround him and the water on the streets is waste deep. X tries to search for any signs of life, and his sensors pick up a faint life force. X follows the signal to find a baby humanoid floating in the water and crying.

X reaches for the child, but his keen reploid eyes picks up the sound of a bullet through the air, so he jumps out of the way to avoid it.

"It's one of them!" X looks up to see a group of humanoids staring at him with fear in their eyes. One of them is a male holding a pistol with his hands shaking. "Stay back or I'll shoot!"

_I guess what Prairie said about the attitudes of some humans haven't changed._ X picks the baby up and the male shoots. X grabs the bullet in his hand effortlessly and tosses the baby at the group.

"Well, X, looks like you're having a hard time communicating over there." X turns to find Burnerman standing on top of a scorched building. X's eyes narrows as he stares at him.

"Burnerman, I should have known it was you causing all of this!" X charges up his buster and prepares to fire, but hesitates when he hears screams coming out of the building.

"Well, X, are you going to risk shooting me? I'm sure someone with your aim won't hit these innocent bystanders, besides, even if you do, they're nothing but worthless scum."

_There might be a misunderstanding between humans, humanoids, and mechaniloids because of the Maverick incidents, but shooting them isn't going to solve anything._ X lowers his buster as Burnerman jumps into the air.

"Take this!" Flames engulf Burnerman's as he charges at X. _As soon as he lands, it'll be clear to fight him._ X quickly scans the area to find the humanoids present earlier weren't here anymore, and the humanoids in the building seem to have evacuated.

"I… can't… move…" X looks down to find the waist deep water to be frozen. X shoots a charged buster at the ice to free himself, but Burnerman crashes down before he could escape.

"You didn't think Burnerman was the only one here, did you?" A part of the water freezes as a figure appears.

"Freezeman!" X charges up his buster while his eyes shifts between the two opponents. _Defeating one of them is a challenge as it is, so I need to be careful. One small mistake can lead to my death._

Freezeman makes the first move by firing a large shard of ice at X. Burnerman raises his arms as they transform into flamethrowers and shoots from the other side. X jumps into the air and does a flip while firing two blasts, one at each enemy.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" Burnerman and Freezeman brush off the attack and they charge at X again. Burnerman's attack leaves a trail of fire behind him and X's sensors can pick up the low temperature around Freezeman.

_NOW!_ X's armor becomes white as he transforms into his Falcon Armor. X activates his jets and flies into the air, causing Burnerman and Freezeman crash into each other. _Time to end this!_ X raises his buster and charges it.

"Metal Blade!" A huge metal blade hits X from behind, knocking him down and forcing him to revert back to normal.

"Just how many of you are here?" X puts his hands on his knees as he pushes himself up to see Metalman and Crashman.

"Almost all of us are here." Three more figures come out and X gasps in surprise. The three newcomers are Plantman, Magnetman, and Geminiman.

"You two, but how!? Aile and Vent defeated the two of you already!"

"You don't get it, do you? Because of the Ciel System, we can rebuild ourselves as many times as need be. You can't win no matter what you try to do." Plantman's hands become vines as he sticks it into the ground.

"Stop." Plantman stops his action as bats appear in Innerpeace. The bats slowly come together and then Shademan appears after a bright flash. "I'll flight X on one on one. I want to see the power of Rockman's successor."

_To defeat him, I'm going to need all the power I can get. I haven't done this in a long time, I hope this works!_ X stands up straight and raises his buster upwards. A light forms around him as his armor starts to slowly bulge out and transform into a dark color.

"So this is your ultimate form, this can prove to be quite interesting."

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**Guardian HQ**

"Alright, I've located the weakness. There's a regeneration device hidden in the left shoulder of each mechaniloid, target that area and make sure the device is destroyed." Harpuia's visor returns to his helmet as he draws his blades and stabs them through two mechaniloids in the left shoulder.

The two mechaniloids sizzle and then fall down permanently. The others nod as they begin to aim for the left shoulder as well.

"It finally looks like they're numbers are diminishing." Vetn starts rapidly shooting semi charged shots covering the front with Aile against his back covering the rear.

Leviathan extends her staff and skewers eight mechaniloids lined up in front of her. Her staff returns to normal length as the mechaniloids fall down. Fefnir shoots down the mechaniloids with his twin busters and then rips their left shoulders apart with his bare fist to keep them down.

Forte transforms both his hands into busters, covering every direction and shooting down the mechaniloids. After about five minutes, all of them are out of breath as they head to Innerpeace.

"Come on, we have to go help X!"

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**Innerpeace**

_I can barely move with all this water in the way!_ Shademan swoops down at X with the edge of his wings touching the water. X sluggishly moves out of the way, but Shademan makes a sharp turn and cuts X with the tip of his wing.

_Those things are more dangerous than I first expected!_ X fires a charged shot at Shademan, but Shademan blocks the attack by shielding himself with his bat-like wings.

"You're going to have to do a lot better than that to defeat me." Shadmean opens his wings as a wave of noise comes out. "CRUSH NOISE!"

X uses a nearby building to wall jumps out of the way and activates his boosters to dash behind Shademan. "NOVA STRIKE!" X is engulfed by fire as he charges at Shademan with a blazing speed. Shademan screams as X's attack connects with his left arm, completely ripping it off.

"Give it up now, Shademan, and I'll let you walk out of this alive." X points his buster at Shademan, but his eyes narrow as Shademan begins to chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"You actually think you've won. You have no idea, do you?" Shademan's severed arm starts to slowly change into white particles and goes toward Shademan. In about two seconds, Shademan looks like exactly the way he was before X's attack.

"TAKE THIS!" Shademan's arm extends as he launches it at X, catching him off guard. The claws pierce through X's chest as pieces of his black armor fly into the air. X reverts back to his original form as Shademan pulls his claws out.

_Is this how I'm going to die?_ X falls into the water and Shademan watches as the bubbles rise, signaling X's struggle to breath.

"Plantman, finish him off."

"With pleasure," Vines surround Plantman's arm and hardens into a pointy spear. Plantman looks at the location where the bubbles are coming from and stabs the spear inside. Plantman frowns and Shademan notices his expression.

"What's wrong?"

"He's gone." Shademan extends his arm and sends it into the water, but isn't able to find any signs of life underneath.

"Well, he doesn't pose much of a threat to us. We did enough for today, let's go back. It will take them a while to recover from this attack." Shademan teleports out, followed by the other Robot Masters, leaving Innerpeace in a state of turmoil.

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**Guardian HQ**

"Where am I?" X opens his eyes to find himself in a hospital bed. He immediately sits up and looks around the room to find Zero, Ciel, Prairie, Forte, and Harpuia. "What's going on in Innerpeace?"

"We managed to get all survivors of the incident back in base and in the medical bay. There were only a few casualties, but almost the entire population is heavily injured now." Harpuia points at a nearby bed to show a humanoid from Innerpeace.

"All of this is my fault. I couldn't defeat Shademan."

"Just feel lucky that you got out of there with your life, X. Besides, what did you think would happen if you did win? The others would all jump you. You're strong, but even you can't win with those odds." Zero looks at Ciel, as their eyes meet, Ciel nods as the two of them leave the room.

"Where's Zero going?" Forte looks at the red reploid leave as Prairie reads recent reports, mostly having to do with damages in Innerpeace and injuries.

"I don't know all the details, but something happened to Zero during his fight in the Control Center. He's getting Ciel to look over it right now." Prairie turns to X. "Don't overdo it next time, okay? There's nothing wrong with having to retreat once in a while, you can't save everyone."

X nods as the three remaining visitors leave the room. X looks down at his chest to see it slowly being repaired. _If Shademan's group alone can cause so much damage, then what are Model W and Yuriskah capable of?_

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Aile leaves the room for a brief moment to take a breath and finds Vent there as well. "Are you taking a break as well?"

"I just can't stand seeing all those people like that. Some of the injuries there are too gruesome." Aile sighs as another person is brought to the medic wing.

"How is it helping out Rose and the others with their work? Ever since the incident with Shademan, everyone healthy had to pitch in to help the injured."

"It's not that hard, most of the time. I just sit there and listen to the patients talk to make them feel better. I'm no expert in health, so Rose just told me to try to calm all the patients down. What about you?"

"I just help transport patients around and pass things, kind of like back when we were working with Girouette." Vent and Aile are immediately silent as Vent realizes the situation they're in.

"Vent?"

"Yeah?"

"The real reason I came outside was because one of the patients lost their child in the flood. It just reminded me of some things that I prefer not to think about."

"Me too."

"Do you really think that things will turn out okay? Back during the Serpent situation, we only had to deal with one group, but now, we have three different enemies to worry about. This is a lot worse than the situation with Serpent."

"I'm sure we'll be fine. We have more people to help us," Vent refers to the reploid heroes and Ciel, "and we've got each other. No matter what, we'll find a way to make everything work out."

Both Vent and Aile sit down on the floor as they lean against each other. "Vent, promise me you won't walk the same path as Girouette and die."

"I won't as long as you don't."

"Don't worry about me, you're the reckless one." The two of them pause for a moment as they bring their lips together. After about two full minutes, they had to break the kiss for breath.

"Well, I better get back to work."

"Same here." The two chosen ones stand up and leave to do their temporary jobs.

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**Commander's Room**

"Did you find out what's wrong?" Zero looks at Ciel with a look of despair in her eyes and immediately knew his answer. "Ciel?"

Ciel turns her chair to face Zero, and he sees tears forming in Ciel's eyes. "There seems to have been something wrong with your programming ever since you reawakened into your body, but it was unnoticeable until now. If this keeps up, then you'll slowly lose all your strength and permanently shut down."

Ciel stands up and looks down to the ground, avoiding Zero's eyes. "Ciel…"

"I'm sorry, Zero. After everything you've done for us, I couldn't even do this one thing right for you." Tears start to hit the floor from Ciel as she continues staring down.

"Ciel…" Zero puts his hands on Ciel's chin and lifts it up, staring into her blue eyes. "I'm still okay now, and I'm sure we'll figure out a way around this. You did your best, and that's all I need. Don't give up yet, Ciel."

Zero puts his arms around Ciel's waist and brings is lips on hers. Ciel slowly relaxes and puts her arm around Zero's neck. Zero breaks the kiss after a minute and wipes the tear from Ciel's cheeks.

"Nothing's decided yet, Ciel. Don't give up. I promise."

"Zero…"

"I haven't broken a promise to you before, have I?"

"No…"

"Exactly, and I don't plan to start now." Zero puts her arms around Ciel as she continues to cry. Ciel stops crying, but she remains in Zero's arm and Zero doesn't seem to show any signs of letting go.

_His body is so warm for a reploid. If I could, then I would freeze time and try to remain like this a while longer. Zero, please be okay. You've always managed to give us hope when there seemed to be none, and you trusted us. This time, I'll trust you to keep your promise._

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Well, I'm not sure if this would count as a cliffhanger or not, but anyways, read and review!


	21. Chapter 20: Recuperation

Here's another chapter for all of you guys, this one doesn't have any action, it's pretty much just a part two of the last chapter:

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**Guardian HQ**

Ciel presses the button as the door to the hallway opens. She glances over her shoulder to find Zero going over the data that she just showed him. "I'll go to my room now, Zero. Tell me if you need anything."

Ciel exits the room and look right beside the door to find Prairie. "How much of our conversation did you hear?"

"Enough to know what's going on," Prairie looks at Ciel before continuing. "I'm sure that we'll figure something out. There's no need to be so sad. Zero's been in tighter situations before." 

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Ciel and Prairie walk together in the hallway until they find the door to their room. They open it up and go in to find two made beds and two desks with different piles of paper, just like they left it.

Prairie pushes a button to shut the door and give them more privacy. "Well, do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm just really worried about Zero now. I told him that he should stay here until we find some way of curing him, but he insists on helping out at the front lines. It was hard enough watching him go on dangerous missions a hundred years ago, and now, his system might give out on him any moment."

"If you want, I can arrange it so that Vent and Aile always accompany him on his missions, would that make you feel any better?"

"Everyone needs their time to rest, and besides, it doesn't seem that Zero needs help, even if he is weakened." Ciel pauses for a moment as she thinks of something else to say. "Prairie, did you notice that Forte's growing up?"

"Of course, why? It's pretty obvious if he becomes apparently taller in such a short time. Is there anything wrong?"

"Not exactly, but I noticed that he's stopped growing lately. He's just at the age where he can battle, but still too young to take in the horrors of death. I'm not sure it's a good idea to let him go out like that."

"That's true, but Vent and Aile are pretty young as well."

"Yes, I was hoping that Forte would grow up to be about their age and that might have stopped the problem, but he's been exactly the same for the last few days. I'm worried that he'll join Yuriskah in his confusion."

"I'm worried as well, Sis. All we can do now is hope for the best and try to keep Forte safe. If we just pull him out of battle, he'll want to search for answers outside of Guardian HQ. What happens now depends entirely on him." 

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"Well, how's it going, X?" Zero enters the room to find X staring outside the window at Innerpeace, he grabs a chair and sits beside X. "Getting any better?"

"Yeah, they said I should be out of here in about a day or so. I was really beat up by Shademan today." X stops looking at Innerpeace and faces Zero. "Ciel told me about your problem, did you find out anything?" 

"She came in here and just told you?"

"I asked her myself. I can tell when something's wrong." X looks outside at Innerpeace. "It seems like the repairs are going quite well right now. All the survivors should be able to go back in about a day or so."

"We really messed up this time, didn't we?"

"Yeah… I guess that's true, but even right now, I can't think of anything that I would've done differently. I take it you still plan on fighting, even though your systems can go down any moment." 

"I've been through worse." Zero looks at the other people around the room and sees Aile talking to a patient. "How do you think everyone else is taking it?"

"Everyone else seems to be taking it very hard and trying to help whatever way they can. Vent and Aile are helping with the patients, while Forte, Fefnir, Leviathan, and Harpuia are helping with the repair of Innerpeace."

"There seems to be no end to the people who want to take over the world. When we defeat one of them, another one comes a few years later to take their place. Right now, we have three different groups to worry about. I wonder if there will ever be a time where we won't have to fight."

"The short periods of peace between the battles are what I look forward to. If we just decided to give up and let someone take over the world, it will be far worse than having to fight someone else later." 

"I guess that's true. There's nothing much we can do except fight to protect what we believe in." Zero yawns as he stands up.

"Well, I' feeling tired today. Since you'll be staying here for the night, I guess I have the room all to myself." Zero walks out of the medical wing as X watches him go.

"Be careful, Zero. Even you're luck will run out sometime sooner or later."

"I don't need luck to take care of this." 

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**Innerpeace**

"Hey, Harpy, need any help with that?" Leviathan looks at Harpy staring at the water fountain uneasily. The buildings are currently under repair and all the water that flooded the streets have evaporated thanks to the combined efforts of Forte and Fefnir.

"I'm supposed to replace all the water there somehow, but I don't have the right equipment to do it."

"Just leave it to me." Leviathan slams her staff into the water as it all instantly freezes. "You do the rest." Harpuia nods as he slashes the ice into chunks and tosses them aside. Leviathan creates a clear block of ice and puts it in the fountain.

"There, by the time it melts, all the water will be replaced." Harpuia nods as he looks to find Fefnir working on the repairs of a nearby building.

"Hey, Fefnir, watch out for that balc…" Harpuia doesn't get to finish before Fefnir goes up and crashes into it, sending himself downwards. "Ouch, that's gotta hurt."

"It would be nice if I got some help, you know?" Fefnir's raises his arm and pulls himself up from a pile of metal, but everything from his waist down is still stuck.

"Fine, Leviathan, help me out here." Harpuia grabs onto Fefnir's right arm and Leviathan grabs his left arm. After pulling for about half a minute with a lot of shouting and profanity from Fefnir, they managed to get him out.

"Alright, you just… stay outside and don't touch any heavy machinery. Leviathan and I will go inside and fix whatever needs fixing." Harpuia and Leviathan go outside, ignoring the protests from Fefnir. 

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"Well, we're all done here. You should take a break, Leviathan, you look tired." Harpuia watches as a small bead of sweat falls from her forehead down to her chin and then to the ground.

"Yeah, I guess that would be the best idea for now. You should take a break as well." Harpuia nods as he looks out the window at Innerpeace. "The repairs will be done pretty soon."

Harpuia frowns for a moment and Leviathan notices. "Is something wrong?" 

"Was Zero assigned to help out over here?"

"No, why?"

"I just thought I saw a flash of red and yellow for a moment and saw it was him. It's probably just my eyes playing tricks on me." Harpuia sighs and crashes down on the couch they just finished repairing.

"You must be feeling really stressed. Here, let me help you." Harpuia sits up on the couch and makes room for Leviathan. "Turn so that your back's facing me." Harpuia complies and Leviathan puts her hands on Harpuia's shoulders.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll help you relax by giving you a massage." Leviathan slowly begins to rub Harpuia's shoulders as his muscles begin to relax. Leviathan moves down to his back and slowly starts to work back up again to his neck. "Is this helping?"

"Yes…" Harpuia closes his eyes, letting Leviathan continue her treatment. Her hands skillfully move from Harpuia's neck to his shoulder, then his back, and then back to his neck again.

Leviathan starts patting Harpuia's neck and notices that he's leaning back. _What's he doing?_ Leviathan hears quiet snores coming from Harpuia and realizes that he's sleeping.

Leviathan removes her hands from Harpuia, causing him to lean back with his head on her lap. Harpuia shifts uncomfortably for a moment before settling back down. _He doesn't seem very comfortable like this…_

Leviathan carefully lifts Harpuia's up a bit and then supports him with her elbows so he doesn't fall back down again. She puts her hands on the sides of his helmet and carefully removes it.

Harpuia doesn't make a noise when Leviathan puts the helmet on his stomach and gently lowers his head back down to her lap. _He seems more comfortable now._ Leviathan strokes Harpuia's jade hair with her hands, letting the strands of hair run between her fingers. _It feels so soft, almost like silk._

Leviathan lets out a yawn and takes off her helmet as well and places it on the arm of the couch. _I'm beat as well, a small nap wouldn't hurt._ Leviathan lowers her head to the arm of the couch, pushing her turquoise hair out of the way. It wasn't long until she starts to snore rhythmically along with Harpuia. 

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**Innerpeace**

Forte walks to an abandoned area of Innerpeace and checks around to make sure that no one's looking. He stands next to a tall white building and waits until another pair of footsteps is heard.

"You decided to come here after all." The newcomer has long blonde hair and blue eyes. He's wearing a black suit with a red vest. Forte looks at his blue eyes through the glasses he's wearing. "Yuriskah decided to give you one more offer. You can join us and leave this hopeless place to become stronger."

"I want some questions answered first, Girouette."

"Alright, go ahead and ask away."

"What do the two of you plan to do?"

"Once we have achieved enough power, we'll rid the world of worthless inhabitants, which include Shademan and his followers and Model W and his followers. As far as that's concerned, that's all you need to know. Of course, Yuriskah plans on destroying X and Zero before doing any of that."

"Worthless inhabitants?"

"Yuriskah considers most humans, humanoids, and reploids alike to be in that category. However, there could be a few exceptions."

"Do you really expect me to help you with your goals? My answer is the same as last time. I refuse to join you or Yuriskah. I decided to agree to come here to see if you know anything about my past." 

"If that's what you came here for, then you'd have to ask Yuriskah about that. Besides, why don't you just ask your friends about that? Is it because you don't trust them?"

Forte is silent at Girouette's accusation as he thinks it over. _Is that true? Do I really not trust any of them?_

"In fact, do they even trust you?" Doubt begins to plague Forte's mind as Girouette takes out a purple disk. "Well, since you aren't going to come with us, have this." Girouette tosses the orb at Forte and he catches it.

"What is it?"

"Yuriskah needs you to be more powerful when the two of you merge, so he created that. It contains some information about some of your weapons and it will help you become stronger. Well, I'm going now. If you change your mind about joining us, then come here."

Girouette leaves as Forte looks at the disk handed to him. "Forte! You're here." Forte turns to find Prairie.

"What are you doing here?"

"Everyone's finished their jobs for today, but you didn't come back, so I came looking for you." Prairie hugs Forte. "Don't wander off like that again, you made me really worried."

"You were… worried about me?"

"Of course, now come on. Let's go back." Forte nods as he takes Prairie's hand, letting her lead him back to Guardian HQ. 

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"Well, how did it go?" Yuriskah sits down in his chair and types some data into the computer as Girouette enters the room. "I take it he still hasn't changed his mind."

"No, but he's becoming more powerful. I gave him the disk you requested me to give him. He should be strong enough soon."

"Alright then, as soon as Forte becomes strong enough, I'll take his power by force and become complete." 

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Well guys, I gotta go and study for a test now. Remember to R&R


	22. Chapter 21: Striking Back

Well, I've been pretty busy with homework lately, so I haven't had a lot of time to work on this fanfic. Anyways, this chapter covers a lot of things, so it's a bit longer than usual:

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**Guardian HQ**

Prairie enters the medic bay to see Vent and Aile sitting by the last, unconscious patient, X. "Has all the residents of Innerpeace been transported to the repaired Inner Hospital?"

"Yes, everyone helped. Including Prometheus and Pandora, but I didn't really get any signs of emotion from them showing that they cared in any way about the injured whatsoever."

"Well, the important thing is that they helped." Prairie looks out the window to look at the repaired Innerpeace. Although the city was repaired, the scars that Shademan left will remain for quite some time.

"We need to do something about this situation fast! We can't just sit back while they attack us one at a time." Vent looks outside as well. "If we keep on doing this, then we'll be destroyed one at a time!"

"There's nothing much we can do. We barely have any clues where to begin. The only information we've received is where one of Shademan's men can possibly be. Everyone needs to recover before we go after them." 

"Was that remark supposed to be aimed at me?" X opens his eyes and slowly sits up. "I guess everyone's pretty busy or injured right now to go around looking for fights." The three others sigh as they realize there's nothing they could do.

Aile puts her hand on her head as she closes her eyes with a look of pain on her face. "Is there anything wrong, Aile?" Prairie moves closer to her as her posture returns to normal.

"It's nothing. I've just been having these headaches lately. One minute they're here, and the next, they're gone. It's probably just the stress I'm under right now."

"Well, you two should go to your rooms and take a break. Both of you have been working nonstop since the attack on Innerpeace, and humans need sleep. You two should both go rest up, I'm sure it'll make you feel better." Vent and Aile nod as they leave the room.

"I better leave as well, since I have some work to do. Get well soon, X." Prairie waves to X as the door closes behind her.

"I feel so bored being cooped up in bed all day… at least they have T.V." X reaches for the remote control and clicks the power button, but nothing happens. "Great, the batteries are dead."

X gets up to manually turn on the television, but finds there aren't any buttons on it. "Oh right, they took the buttons out a hundred years ago." The thought of manually taking apart the television and then try to turn it on somehow was tempting at first, but X realized he didn't know the first thing to do other than how to take it apart.

X sighs and gets back on his cushy white bed. "Well, at least they aren't making us sleep on boards like they did back at Maverick Hunter HQ. You'd think they'd be able to afford beds with all the money they spent on weapons." 

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**Prairie and Ciel's Room**

Prairie looks over the reports sent by Guardians concerning suspicious actions that are probably caused by Shademan's troops. Prairie sighs as she thinks over their options. _If I send a troop of Guardians to try and get a closer look, they'll probably just be destroyed. Fefnir, Leviathan, and Harpuia are busy with work of their own, and the rest are in no condition to be fighting._

The sound of the door opening turns Prarie's attention away from the reports sent by the Guardians and she turns to find that Forte was the one who entered the room. "Hello, Forte, were have you been?" 

"I was looking around for things to do." Forte plops down on his mattress as he looks at the amount of paperwork on Prairie's desk. "Is there anything wrong?"

"I've received reports from a team of Guardians who noticed suspicious activity in an area, but I'm not sure of what to do about it. One of Shademan's men could be there, and if that's the case, then none of them would stand a chance."

Forte gets off his mattress and stands up to look over Prairie's head at the paperwork. "If it's really bothering you that much, I can go and see what's wrong."

Prairie turns her attention away from the paper and spins her chair so that she's facing Forte. _Now that he mentions it, it could work, but still…_ "Are you sure you're ready for this? This could be your first real battle."

"I want to be able to help you and everyone else. This is the only thing I can do right now that can make a difference."

"Alright, if you're sure about this, then I'll transport you to the area." Forte nods as Prariie stands up, signaling him to follow her. They enter the Command Center and Prairie sits down in a seat and points to a trans-server.

"I'll alert a few Guardians to give you some back-up, but be careful, alright?"

"I will." Prairie punches in a few keys and Forte disappears. _I know there's nothing I can do to stop Forte from wanting to go in battle again. I just hope that this time, he can settle down and find happiness instead of shutting himself off from the world like he did last time… Don't leave me again, Forte._

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"I've managed to locate a transmission. They've made their move and sent someone to Metalman's area. The energy signature matches Forte's!" Magnetman's face appears on the monitor with Guardian HQ behind him.

"Forte? So the mechaniloids cameras were accurate after all. No matter, his power levels are unstable and quite low right now." Shademan gets up on his chair and types in a few co-ordiantes.

"Should I launch an attack right now?"

"No, just stay hidden and keep me alert on any other movements. I'll head over to Metalman's area and greet Forte."

"Understood, Magnetman out," the screen blackens and Shademan types in a few different keys before Metalman's face appears on the monitor. "Metalman, Forte is coming in your direction. Hold him off until I get there."

Metalman nods before Shademan presses a button and the transmission ends. "Since I don't want the signal to be traced, I guess I'll just have to get there on my own, how troublesome." 

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**Guardian HQ**

"We've located a high energy signature just outside of the base. Should we pursue it, Model W?" Pandora contacts Model W and Phantom while Prometheus guards the hallway in case someone passes by.

"I won't have Shademan interfering with my plans. Go ahead and destroy whoever's out there."

"Got it." Before Pandora could turn off the communication, Aile appears before them. _There's something very different about her, she's like totally different person._ Pandora turns to Prometheus and mouths something along the lines of : "We've been caught, idiot." 

"Let me take of this one, I want to see how powerful this new temporary body of mine is." A very strange voice comes out of Aile's mouth, confusing Pandora and Prometheus.

"Omega, good to see you're finally able to resurface again without the brats using the biometals. Do you need Pandora and Prometheus's help?" Model W starts speaking with "Aile" before Pandora and Prometheus realize what's going on.

"I'm not sure how long I can stay in this body, so try to cover for me if anything goes wrong." Pandora and Prometheus nod before "Aile" starts to leave.

"Wait, what about the other brat?"

"I made sure that he's asleep before I took over this body."

"I meant why didn't you pick him instead?"

"I needed to find a more suitable host, so I'll see which of the two chosen ones is better. I've already got a feel for his power, so I'm trying this one." Aile opens the door and jumps down from the airship. 

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"I've arrived, Prairie, what do I do now?" Forte looks around at the barren wasteland as he speaks with Prairie via a communicator. "There doesn't seem to be anyone here."

"Alright, wait for a minute as I perform a scan." Forte stays still as the clicking of keys is heard on the other side of the communicator. "There should be an entrance five steps north of our current location, the energy signals are coming from underground." 

"Alright, I'll check it out." Forte moves forward three steps as dust begins to collect on his feet. Forte raises his hand and fires a charged buster downwards to find a set of stairs leading down. "It's just as you said, I'm going in."

"Tell me what you see." Forte looks around to find a huge assembly line. Cloaked by the shadows, he was able to make out the outline of mechaniloid grunts working on the assembly line, creating more mechaniloids.

"I see an assembly line and a bunch of non-combat mechaniloids working on combat mechaniloids."

"Alright, come back up and wait for reinforcements."

"Roger." Forte turns and heads up the stairs again. _What's that noise?_ Forte identifies the sound as the whirring of blades and quickly ducks as it gets louder, scratching his helmet.

"Forte… you… al…" Prairie's voice is cut off by static as Forte tries to respond.

"Prairie? Can you hear me?" Forte speaks into his communicator, receiving only static in response. "Are you there?"

"Well, I didn't think I'd see the day where the mighty Forte would willingly work with someone." Forte turns to find a red robot with metal blades on his helmet and shoulders. "I guess the rumors true that you've lost your memories and abilities to fight."

"Who are you?" Forte backs away as he prepares to exit the room.

"You don't remember me anymore? Well, I am Metalman. It's pretty crowded here, so let's take this outside, shall we?" Metalman charges at Forte and brings his fist out as Forte tries to block the attack with his arms. Metalman uses his other hand to punch Forte in the guts, knocking him out the exit and into the air.

Metalman jumps up and positions himself above Forte before raising his fist and to punch the black reploid. Forte defends himself by blocking the attack with his arms, but is still knocked down by the force of Metalman's attack.

Forte lands on the sand, scattering the dust upon impact as Metalman slowly descends. "Looks like you really have lost all your power, this is just pathetic."

"Don't underestimate me!" A purple plasma bullet exits the dust in the air as it flies towards Metalman. Sands start to pick up as the bullet picks up speed and pierces Metalman in the left shoulder, exploding on contact and knocking the bulky robot down.

Forte dashes out of the dust with two blades in hand as he jumps at the fallen Metalman. Metalman grabs onto Forte's arms with his hands as he holds him back.

"You may have been the strongest of all of us three hundred years ago, but now you're weak!" Metalman does a flip and pins Forte down to the ground. "I'll just finish you off right now, Metal Blade!"

A spinning metal blade appears on Metalman's right hand as he holds Forte's neck down with his left hand. Forte tries to free himself from Metalman's grip as the blade moves closer. _I can't die here, not like this!_

Forte grabs onto Metalman's right hand with his own just as the metal blade makes contact with his helmet. Forte's other hands transform into a buster as he punches Metalman's chest and launches a charged shot. A purple light engulfs the two of them before Metalman is sent flying off.

"Don't think that's enough to finish me, Metal Blade!" Metalman throws two metal blades as they whirl around and start to move toward Forte. Forte jumps into the air, but the metal blades curve upward and knock him back down.

Metalman starts to walk forward as Forte stands up, clutching his left arm with a huge gash on his left shoulder and electricity oozing out. His right leg also has a huge gash and he is struggling just to stand up. _If he attacks now, then I'm done for. I need to think of something quick!_

Metalman picks up speed as he dashes at Forte. "You can't dodge this attack now. I'll crush you with my bare hands!" Sand begins to surround Metalman as he picks up speed, the sand covers Forte as Metalman brings out his fist. His fist makes contact with something hard as a deafening crack is heard.

"I guess since I defeated you, that'll make me the strongest Robot Master. WHAT!?" The sand clears and Metalman realizes that it was just a huge chunk of ice that he hit. He looks at Forte and notices his original black and gold armor has changed into black and turqoise. "My hand's stuck!"

"Now it's time for me to attack!" Forte's armor transforms back into its original shade of gold and Forte raises his hand while transforming it into a buster and gathering energy.

"Damn it! I can't move…" Metalman struggles to free his hand, but Forte unleashes the blast. Chunks of red armor scatter into the air and Metalman falls down. "Looks like you just might be the strongest Wilybot… even after all these years…"

Forte's right leg gives away as he kneels down to the ground, watching Metalman's explosion. "Looks like you really are still alive." Forte quickly looks up to see a purple figure hovering in the air. 

"Shademan…" 

"I'll just take care of you right now in case you grow up to be a problem for us!" Shademan's claw digs into Forte's armor as he extends his armor, bringing the black reploid down.

Shademan's arm returns to its normal length as he lands and walks toward Forte. "To be honest, you did a lot better than I expected, defeating Metalman like that. I won't allow you to live on!" Shademan swipes at Forte, but Forte manages to roll out of the way and only receive a small scratch on his cheek.

_I don't want to die like this… Prairie…_ "Forte… Com… Communications have been restored. I'm getting you out of there right now!"

"Crush Noise!" Forte disappears before he receives the full impact of Shademan's sound wave. "You got lucky today, but I'll get you next time." 

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**Outside Guardian HQ**

"Why can't I defeat you!?" Magnetman launches three Magnet Missiles at Aile, but she just jumps up and spins her new purple saber, sending out ice waves and destroying the attacks.

"Give it up, you're pathetic." The strange voice coming out of the human's mouth sends shivers down Magnetman's artificial bones as Aile moves closer. Magnetman creates a barrier to protect himself, but Aile's purple saber cuts straight through it, taking Magnetman's left arm.

"How did you get so powerful!?" Magnetman's remaining hand starts to glow and so does Aile's dark red boots. "I've immobilized you, now DIE!" Magnetman charges at the red clad chosen one in desperation.

"Get out of my sight, weakling." Aile's hand starts to glow as she punches the ground, sending out bright waves of light fanning outwards, crushing Magnetman's remaining arm.

"You're annoying me. I'll just finish you off now." Aile dashes toward Magnetman at incredible speed as he looks up in shock.

"No, don't do this! AAHHHH!" Aile runs her hand through Magnetman's chest as he explodes, covering Aile with shards of red armor. 

"Looks like I've run out of time, at least now I've got a feel for this body." The armor on Aile's body disappears and reverts to Biometal X and O as Aile grabs them and puts it into her pockets. "I'll look for a better host later, but this will do for now." 

With that said, Aile's now red eyes close as she falls unconscious onto the ground. 

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**Guardian HQ**

"Forte! What happened to you?" Prairie rushes up to the battered Forte as he comes out of the trans-server. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you in time…"

"It's alright, I was able to win in the end, and you just saved my life back there." Forte's eyes close as he falls forward. Prairie grabs onto the black reploid's body to stop his fall.

"Just rest for now, Forte, you did good today." Prairie carries the smaller reploid on her back into her room. She puts Forte onto her bed and tucks him in before leaving the room, hearing Forte's gentle snores before closing the door.

_He almost lost his life today just to help us. Everyone's trying their best right now, I just hope that's enough for us to make it._ Prairie moves toward the Command Center while lost in her thoughts, but bumps into Vent on her way.

Both of them fall on the ground as Vent helps her up and Prairie wipes the dust from her coat. "I'm so sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was going and…"

"Why are you in such a hurry? Is anything wrong?"

"It's Aile, she's missing from our room!" A look of concern washes over Prairie's face as Vent begins to talk. "I've asked around headquarters, but no one seems to know where she is."

"Come on, let's go look for her." Prairie grabs onto Vent's arm and drags him around the base looking for Aile until they bump into Prometheus and Pandora.

"Have you two seen Aile?" Vent asks as he tries to catch his breath. 

"Oh, I just saw your girlfriend outside taking a nap on the ground. I don't know why, but she is." Vent grabs Model H and X as he transforms and opens the hatch to the door and jumps down, locating Aile and bringing her back. 

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"Ugghhh… what happened?" Aile wakes up to find Vent and Prairie staring at her. "Did anything happen while I was asleep?"

"We found you outside unconscious on the ground, what were you doing there?"

"I was?" Aile tries to search for memories for anything that could remind her of that. "Sorry, but I don't remember that." 

"Maybe she was just sleepwalking…" Vent suggests sheepishly. "That's probably why she doesn't remember anything."

"I doubt a sleep walker can jump down an airship unharmed." Prairie sighs as the three of them try to figure out what happened.

"Wait! I remember something!"

"What?" 

"When I woke up in the middle of the night, there was a strange voice telling me to get up. I followed the voice's directions until I got to the hallway, but then everything else is a blank." Aile sighs. "Maybe I just dreamed that."

"Well, whatever it is, I don't think we'll be figuring it out today. You two should go ahead and get some rest." Vent and Aile nod slowly as Prairie leaves the room, trying to rack their brains for possible explanations on why Aile was outside. 

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The next chapter will probably be about Yuriskah making his move, so review and tell me what you think about the story so far or if you have any suggestions.


	23. Chapter 22: Reliving a Nightmare

Yuriskah already betrayed Model W a long time ago in the chapter when Shademan figured out his true identity. As for the whole virus thing, it's kind of close to something I have planned, but Yuriskah isn't the target. Well, enough babble, here's the next chapter:

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Aile in her X form stands next to the battered body of Girouette as she raises her buster and charges. The surrounding buildings and people all seem to vanish and turn into a dark void as Girouette tries to stand up.

Aile continues charging her buster as everything except for her, Girouette, Serpent, Pandora, and Prometheus is covered in darkness. 

"What are you waiting for, chosen one? Isn't it your duty to destroy any Mavericks who are a threat to Innerpeace?" Serpent laughs as Aile looks around, trying to find the direction the voice is coming from. 

"Finish him…" Prometheus voice seems to be coming from every direction as Aile starts shaking her buster. Aile uses her left arm to stop her buster from shaking as she charges up the final shot.

"Do it…" Pandora's voice seems to call out as well and Aile looks at Girouette standing to get up. _Why am I doing this?_ Aile's memory seems to become a blur as she tries to remember the events leading up to this moment, but nothing clicks in her head.

"Aile… shoot me…" Girouette seems to be struggling against something as he stands up. Something inside Aile acted on its own as she releases the charged shot at Girouette. _NO!_ The blue and red ball of energy flies at Girouette and completely knocks him, reverting him back to his original form.

"Boss!" Aile runs up to her boss and catches him before he falls to the ground. "Don't die on me!" Aile looks at Girouette's cracked glasses and gasps as she sees his red eyes.

"It's too late for me now… Aile… Escape from here, while you still can…" Girouette fades away and Aile hears footsteps coming from behind her. She turns her head to find Serpent, Pandora, and Prometheus walking on the darkness towards her.

"What's the matter? Wasn't this what you wanted to do when you released the trigger?" Serpent's red hair slowly begins to morph into a silver color and his green coat becomes a black color. Serpent's whole appearance begins to change until he transforms into Yuriskah.

Aile turns the other way to run, but finds herself face to face with Phantom. She turns in every direction, but sees Shademan and the other Robot Masters blocking every other possible exit.

"It's over now, Aile." As soon as the words leave Yuriskah's mouth, her legs begin to feel heavy as she realizes she's falling into the darkness. 

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Aile wakes up panting as she looks around the room, reassuring herself that she was out of the nightmare. _It's that nightmare again, but it seemed so real this time…_ Aile notices stirring in the upper bunk and realizes that Vent's already awake.

"Aile, are you up?"

"If you can't sleep under these circumstances, what makes you think I can?" Aile sighs as she remembers her nightmare. _This time it was a bit different. All the other times, I woke up when Serpent appeared, but he transformed into Yuriskah. What does this mean?_ "I had a nightmare..."

"About boss?" Aile's eyes widen when Vent guesses right, and Vent jumps down from his top bunk in time to see her nod. "Yeah, me too, with everything that's going on, I'm sure we'll run into him again soon."

"I just hope that our meeting won't end the same way it did last time." Aile sighs and rubs her eyes as she tries to make out all the objects in the room, but can only see blurs. "Here, just sleep next to me. If we're having nightmares, we can wake each other up." 

Aile moves aside and waits for Vent to make some kind of sick remark that would make her regret this, but surprisingly, he just nods and goes straight to sleep beside Aile. _He's probably just as tired as I am. Well, I have some sleep to catch up on._

Vent immediately wakes up when the alarm rings. "All Guardians, please report to the Commander's Room. We've discovered some strange energy signatures that need to be investigated right away." 

"Well, so much for sleep." Vent sighs as he gets off the bed and Aile follows after. "Come on, we have a job to do." 

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**Commander's Room**

"Alright, we're all here. What's wrong?" Aile looks at Prairie and Ciel as they try to figure out a diagram on a computer.

"We've discovered three areas of strange activity. Two of them are pretty close to each other and the other one is isolated from the other two. We have reason to believe that Yuriskah and Girouette are behind this." Prairie wavers for a bit as she speaks the latter name of the two.

"It seems that they've set up a bomb in this area, for reasons we have not yet figured out. This can be a very serious threat, so X, Harpuia, Leviathan, Fefnir, Pandora, and Prometheus will be assigned to that area." Ciel finishes for Prairie.

"What!? You need all six of us?" Prometheus looks at the map on the monitor. "I don't see why you need that many people just to stop some bomb."

"We have no idea what they plan to do with it, and how much of a threat it actually is. Vent and Aile will be assigned over here," Prairie points at a glowing red dot on the map, "and Zero is assigned there…" Prairie points at a closer dot and notices someone else in the room. "Forte will be going with Zero as well…"

"We've sent groups of Guardians in the three locations already for backup. Good luck to you all." Everyone steps into their assigned trans-servers and the operators in the room begin typing and then they warp out.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let Forte go?"

"I don't think he would have accepted no as an answer. Besides, I'm sure he'll be okay with Zero."

"Zero gets in the most trouble among all of them…"

"We can only hope that Zero can get the two of them out of this one in one piece…" 

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"The readings are coming from this cave." X leads the group into the entrance to a dark cave and they all turn on their infrared vision. "Any of you see anything yet?"

"Over there!" Leviathan points to an area and all of them zoom in to find a device latched onto the floor. Everyone rushes to it to find it to be some kind of bomb.

"I still can't believe all of us have to take care of this one little bomb. I'll just destroy this thing right now!" Prometheus gets out his scythe and prepares to swing at the grey machine.

"Don't do anything rash." Prometheus lowers his scythe when he hears Pandora's voice and Harpuia steps up.

"I'll analyze this bomb and then see how we can safely disable it." Harpuia puts his hands on the bomb and starts to examine it for a few moments. "That's strange…"

"What?" 

"The bomb hasn't been activated yet. It's nuclear powered, and if activated, it can take down everything in a three mile radius. It should be safe to just destroy it right here."

"In that case, let's go back to Plan A." Prometheus gets out his scythe again but it leaves his hand as the ground begins to shake and there's a beeping sound from the bomb.

"What's happening? An earthquake?" X turns to the exit to see rocks falling down and block their only exit. X's armor becomes a white color as he dives for the only opening.

"Not so fast." A purple blast makes contact with X's chest, knocking him to the ground as he sees Yuriskah on the other end.

"I'd love to make sure all of you are dead, but I have other things to take care of. Bye bye." Yuriskah waves at them as more rocks fall down, blocking off the exit.

"I'll just blast our way out of here!" Fefnir raises his twin buster and a red blast starts to form as he aims it at the barricades. 

"Don't!" Fefnir stops charging when Harpuia yells. "The bombs been activated during that rockslide. If we try anything like that, we'll set it off and then die." Everyone stops for a moment as they listen to the rhythmic beeping sound.

"What do we suggest we do?" Prometheus looks at Harpuia with a look of annoyance. "If we stay, we're stuck, and if we get out, we die." 

"We need to slowly remove the rocks one at a time without causing a commotion." Harpuia looks around. "Wait, there's something else in this room!"

Small containers that were hiding between the rocks have become visible since the rockslide and they break just as Harpuia finishes talking, releasing a violet gas in the room.

"This is… toxic gas… we can't stay here for long." Harpuia manages to speak between coughs, but doesn't think anyone managed to hear him through all the coughs.

"Prairie… are you… there?" X tries to get a connection across but fails. "I can't get a signal through in here."

The coughing stops as everyone gets used to the gas a bit, but they're now struggling to move. "This is just beautiful! If we take too much time getting out, then we die of gas. If we try to break out right away, we die of an explosion." Prometheus drops his scythe as he clutches his chest.

_All our systems are slowly beginning to fail. Yuriskah used the bomb to lure us here the whole time!_ Harpuia drops his twin sabers and goes up to the sealed exit and slowly begins to dig a way out. 

"We'll never get out like that!" Fefnir looks at Harpuia taking one rock at a time. "It's going to take forever, and time's not something we have right now."

"I'm not going to wait around any longer to test if that's true." Leviathan and X help Harpuia and later Fefnir decides to join in as well.

"As much as I hate working with all of you, I hate dying in a cave like this with all of you even more." Prometheus and Pandora begin to help as well as they attempt to break out of the cave. 

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**Amusement Park**

"This is where our parents died during the Maverick raid." Vent looks around at the familiar surroundings. "This place has been closed down ever since."

"This is the spot where we first met…" Aile looks down on the area devoid of any plantlife. "It sure has changed over the years." 

"Vent, Aile, the energy reading is coming from the house north of your current position." Prairie voice speaks to the two chosen ones through their communicators.

"Alright, we're going in." Both Vent and Aile cautiously open the door and step inside to a dark room.

"Where are we? I can't see anything… Ouch!" Aile hears the sound of someone falling down as she makes out the outline of Vent.

"Is anything wrong?"

"No, I just bumped into something hard." Aile watches the outline of Vent touch a strange object. "It feels really smooth, but I can't quite tell what it is in the dark."

"Alright, let's keep going." While walking around in darkness, the two chosen ones bumped into many objects like the first one. "What the heck are these things and why are there so many of them!?"

"It's so hard to move properly like this." As soon as the words leave Vent's mouth, the light turns on, momentarily blinding the two chosen ones. When they open their eyes, they see Girouette with his armor and visor in every direction.

"What technique is this!?" Vent grabs onto Model Z and X. "Rock-on!" Vent transforms but Aile stays in her human form.

"Boss, we don't want to fight you." Aile looks around and realizes where she is. "Vent, this is one of those houses of mirrors, we need to find out where he really is." Aile whispers to her partner. 

"Fighting one person is a lot easier than fighting two people anyways." Vent follows Girouette's voice and swings his blade at the source he thinks the direction is coming from. When the blade hits, the mirror shatters into pieces and Vent gets knocked back by the real Girouette's Z-Saber.

_It's no use. We have almost no way of knowing where Girouette really is. For once, I wish they didn't make such huge technological advancements. If I really have to fight Boss, then I guess I have no other choice._ "Rock-on!"

Aile grabs onto her Model X as she helps Vent up. "Which direction did he go?"

"I lost him again." The two of them move on as they try to look for signs of Girouette. A small step is heard and the two chosen ones immediately freeze, looking around the room. _Where is he?_

The two of them look around only to find reflections of themselves without seeing a sign of Girouette. "He's close, I can tell." Vent grips onto his ZX-Saber tighter and Aile begins charging her buster.

"Over there!" Aile notices one of the reflections of Vent being cut and she fires her charged X-Buster, but it's met by a green wave. The wave cuts straight through the blue energy shot and pierces Aile. 

"Aile!" Vent dashes at Girouette, but something seemed to change about the red clad chosen one as Vent runs straight into a mirror. A green saber wave pierces Vent from behind, knocking the chosen one down. 

_He's stronger than last time…_ Girouette starts moving closer to Vent as Vent tries to stand back up. "You two haven't gotten any better since the last time I saw you. This isn't even fun." 

_"Use me, I can easily defeat him."_ Aile hears a voice in her mind, the same one she heard the night when she was found outside of the base.

_Who are you?_

_"I'm Model O. If you want to save you're boyfriend, then you have no other choice then to use my power."_ Aile reaches into her pocket and pulls out Model O.

_How'd that get in there? I watched Vent when he used this biometal… Can I really risk going insane like he did?_

_"You want your boyfriend to live, don't you? If you don't act quickly, then he'll be killed."_

_No, I can't resort to using this! I'll destroy both Girouette and Vent._ Aile tosses Model O onto the ground and charges up her buster as Girouette grabs onto Vent's ZX-Saber.

"How would you like it if I killed you with your own weapon?" Girouette raises both beam sabers as he prepares to attack Vent.

"STOP!" Aile launches a huge blue and red charged shot at Girouette, engulfing his whole body and knocking the red warrior down. 

"Rock-on!" Vent grabs onto Model F and quickly transforms as the ZX Saber disappears from Girouette's hand. "Thanks, I owe you one." 

"Rock-on!" Aile transforms into her HX form as she begins scanning for Girouette. "Over there!"

Vent grabs his two busters and fires in the direction Aile is pointing at, destroying his own reflection. Girouette runs away from the barrage of attacks and hides again. "Where is he now, Aile?"

"I'm searching…" Aile starts turning her head to look around the whole room. _I can't find him in any direction… Wait, what was that!?_ "Vent, above you!"

Girouette dives down at Vent with the Z-Saber, knocking the chosen one down before slamming his blade on the ground, sending light rays to burst out in every direction. Aile can only hear the cracking sound of mirrors as she gets knocked back by Girouette's attack.

"Seeing as how the mirrors couldn't hide me anymore, I'm free to use that attack." Girouette grabs onto the weakened Vent and throws him at Aile while launching another wave. The two chosen ones revert back to their human forms as the attack hits them.

_He's getting closer and we both have no more power left…_ Girouette stands above them as he points the Z-Saber downwards. "DIE!" 

Aile screams as she watches the glowing green blade closing in on the two of them. Girouette hesitates for a moment before dropping his blade. "Vent… Aile… please finish me… right now!"

Girouette screams in pain and then grabs his Z-Saber again. "Sorry about that, now where was I?"

_"You have no other choice."_ Model O begins to glow next to Aile as she realizes her consciousness is slowly leaving as dark red armor begins to slowly form on her body.

"What is this!? This biometal wasn't in our database!" Girouette backs away as Aile growls in a strange voice. "You shouldn't even be standing right now! How is this possible!?"

"Aile…" Vent opens his green eyes and stares at the purple saber that she's clutching. "Oh no, she used Model O."

"Just stay down for now, chosen one. I'll take care of you after I take care of him." Vent's eyes widen in fright as he recognizes the voice. _This isn't Aile anymore. This is the same voice that spoke to me when I first used Model O. We're really in trouble now._

"So what? You think a voice change and a darker shade of red on your armor and a change in the color of your weapon scares me!?" Girouette clutches his Z-Saber as he lunges at the newly transformed Aile, but she blocks the attack easily with the OX-Saber.

"You're nothing compared to me!" Aile flicks her wrist upwards, sending the Z-Saber spinning in the air. Aile's left hand begins to glow as she slams it into the ground, sending small energy hits scattering in every direction, hitting both Vent and Girouette.

"The real battle has just begun!" Girouette catches his Z-Saber as it lands and does a somersault to prevent being smacked into the ground. 

"I don't know what kind of trick this is, but it won't make a difference!" Girouette clutches onto his Z-Saber as he looks at Aile with an insane look in her eyes. Vent tries to move his legs, but it doesn't seem to be responding. _This battle will go out of control, I have to find some way to stop it as quickly as possible._

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I think my word count per chapter has changed sometime in the last few chapters, but I guess that's a good thing.

The whole cave thing and mirror thing is a bit cliche, but I didn't really have a good idea of what else to do. Can any of you guys see ideas I've taken from animes and other sources? Remember to Read and Review!


	24. Chapter 23: Falling Again

I haven't really been able to go on the computer much lately due to schoolwork, but here's another chapter for all you readers to enjoy:

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**House of Mirrors**

"You're still nowhere near strong enough to defeat me!" Girouette charges at Aile and grabs his Z-Saber with both his arms and thrusts the blade downwards. The blade digs into the metal floor as Aile jumps into the air to avoid the incoming attack and lands on Girouette's hand.

"Is that all?" Aile jumps up from Girouette's arm and lowers her saber, preparing to do a downward stab. Girouette flicks his saber up with a swift movement, sending a strong torrent of wind upwards and sending shards of glass on the ground in Aile's direction.

Aile stops her attack in mid air and holds her saber in a defense stance to protect herself from the projectiles. Girouette fires a saber wave, pushing Aile upwards and slamming her against the roof. Aile falls down after the impact, with a few chunks of her armor missing, but she stands right up again, completely ignoring her injuries. 

Girouette charges at Aile and prepares for another attack, but Aile jumps back and spins her OX Saber, sending blue energy scattering around. Ice forms on the floors and walls of the building where the attacks hit and Girouette stops moving as four of the blue attacks hit him on his hands and feet.

"I can't move!" Girouette tries to move his Z-Saber with his frozen hand, but fails and Aile moves closer, brandishing her purple saber. 

"Well, you proved to be quite a problem for us, but I'll end that right now." Aile stops playing with her saber when she reaches Girouette. She brings it behind her as the air around the blade stills white the saber connects energy.

"When this attack hits, it will be all over. I'll be nice and let you have one last request." The OX Saber finishes charging, but Aile doesn't swing it at Girouette yet. "So, is there anything you want to say?"

"The thing that's changed the most about you since using that biometal is your ego. Your rise in power pales in comparison to that!" The ice on Girouette's hands shatter and he swipes pushes the Z-Saber on the ground to propel himself upwards.

Aile unleashes her charged attack, but Girouette manages to disappear before the attack makes contact with him. The sheer force of Aile's attack sent a large wave of wind forward, hitting the wall and shaking the building. Rocks and materials begin to fall down from the roof as from the shaking and the wind rips through the wall, creating a large hole.

"You can't hide from me forever! Come out!" Aile sheaths her blade and draws her buster, blasting at every direction with semi-charged shots while looking for Girouette. Vent manages to roll away from the falling projectiles as Aile brings down the whole building.

"Aile! If you keep this up, you'll destroy the whole place!" Vent tries to get through to Aile, but she ignores him and keeps on firing, looking for Girouette. _She's out of control, I need to get out of there now!_

Vent pushes himself up and heads toward the door, but a large rock chunk blocks the way. "Well, that takes care of Plan A." A red blur passes him and the rock shatters into pieces and so does the door. Vent stands there for a moment before realizing it was Girouette. 

Vent follows takes the same path as Girouette and runs toward the door. Vent is barely one meter away before the whole building explodes, knocking him back and scattering flames on the grass outside.

The silhouette of Aile in her OX armor appears as she slowly walks out of the building with ash on her armor, but no physical injuries from being in the explosion. "You've got nowhere to hide now, Girouette."

Aile draws her pistol and points it at Girouette. Girouette grabs the blade with both his hands and positions it horizontally at shoulder height in a defensive position.

"Die!" Aile pulls the trigger and a charged shot at Girouette. Girouette recoils from the attack and moves back about a meter, but doesn't go down from the attack. "DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Aile fires three more shots, but Girouette starts dashing forward and nullifying all the attacks with his saber. Aile puts away her pistol and grabs her OX Saber. Girouette prepares to attack as he gets in range, but Aile swings her blade and launches a purple shock wave along the ground toward Girouette.

Girouette disappears before the shock wave touches green wave touches him. Aile ducks as strands of her now blond hair is cut by what seems to be an invisible blade. Girouette appears behind Aile and Aile puts her hands on the ground. She puts one leg out and spins around, tripping Girouette.

Girouette loses his balance and begins to fall downward, but is raised into the air by Aile's flame saber uppercut attack. Aile jumps into the air to follow Girouette, but he grips onto his saber and regains composure, stabbing downwards and sending Aile back down. Aile drops her OX Saber as she drops down and hits the ground with a thud. 

"You're a lot stronger than I first thought, but you're outmatched." Girouette lands on the ground and begins walking toward the fallen Aile.

"You're nothing more than a mere copy!" Aile slams her hand onto the ground, sending columns of blue light outward. The attack catches Girouette offguard as pieces of red armor begin scatter in the air. Aile laughs an insane laugh and Girouette falls down on the ground. 

"Zero was merely a copy of me, and you're nothing more than a copy of him. A fake like you will never be able to defeat me." Aile grabs onto her OX Saber again and slashes at Girouette, shattering his visors. "I want to see the look on your face when I slowly rip your life away from you."

Girouette focuses his blue eyes on Aile as she laughs maniacally. "Hmph… I've already been there once." Girouette digs his hand into the ground and grabs a handful of dust. Girouette throws it at Aile, surprising her.

"What are you doing!?" Aile starts to furiously rub her eyes with her palms as she tries to get the dirt out.

"Fighting dirty…" Girouette disappears and reappears behind Aile a moment later, saber in his left hand. A huge gash appears in Aile's armor as energy begins spilling out.

"No! This can't be!!" Aile screams in pain as her armor slowly begins to fall apart and she reverts back to her human form. Aile collapses onto the ground and Vent rushes up to her.

"Aile! Aile! Are you alright!?" Vent turns his attention to the person across from Aile. "Boss…"

"I guess I've finally opened my eyes to what I was doing…" Girouette begins to fall down as he reverts back to his original form. Aile and Vent both manage to stand up and stop Girouette's fall.

"Boss!" Girouette coughs out some blood onto the ground and makes a weak smile. "Boss, don't die on us again."

"My fate was decided a long time ago… I know that this is the path chosen for me." Girouette looks at Aile and Vent. "It still isn't even close to over yet, Vent, Aile, go back to Guardian HQ. Go and stop Yuriskah from achieving his goals!"

"Wait, Boss, we need to take you to the medic wing first!" Aile tries to offer Girouette a hand, but he doesn't take it.

"It's pointless at this point. It'll be nothing but a waste of time. Hurry, you two, and just leave me here. I have some unfinished business to attend to." Vent and Aile prepare to leave, but Vent notices a glint in the ground.

"Over there!" The two chosen ones dig the shiny object out to discover a damaged Model O. Vent and Aile almost shake as they hesitate on what to do with the biometal.

"I say we just leave it here or destroy it right now." Vent looks at the dark red biometal. "It's caused us enough trouble already." 

"No, don't be so reckless, Vent. You still haven't learned, have you?" Vent and Aile turn their head to Girouette, still lying on the ground. "If you leave it here, then someone might discover it, or even worse, it might get repaired somehow. It's best to just take it for now and leave it somewhere safe in Guardian HQ. Besides, I don't think it can do any damage in the state it's in right now." 

"Alright then, Boss." Aile puts Model O in her pocket as she looks back to Girouette. "Are you sure you don't want us to help?"

"No, it's pointless."

"Boss, once we stop Yuriskah, I'll tell Prairie to send someone to get you. Promise me that we'll see each other again." Girouette gives a slight nod as tears begin to well up in both Aile and Vent's eyes.

"Come on, Aile, we better hurry." Aile sniffles before the two of them head toward a nearby trans-server and Girouette watches the two of them disappear and he weakly begins to stand up again.

"I've chosen this path, and I know that I'll be going back to where I came from before Yuriskah rebuilt me." Girouette stands up fully as a light begins to surround him. "We'll see each other again sooner than the two of you expect, Vent, Aile."

Girouette disappears from the park, leaving the area abandoned. 

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**Guardian HQ**

"Vent, Aile, the two of you are back!" Prairie looks in surprise at the two battered chosen ones. "The two of you look like you're going to collapse any second."

"We'll be… fine… send us to where… Zero and Forte is…" Aile manages to speak between breaths, but after her last word, she collapses. Vent falls down on his knee as well before fainting on the ground.

"Take these two to the medic wing at once!" Four Guardians nod at Prairie's command as they carry Vent and Aile out the room. Prairie sighs and looks at Ciel. "Did you find anything new?"

"We still can't seem to reach X and the others. Wherever they are right now, all signals are blocked." Ciel types a few more keys. "Wait, I've locked onto the co-ordinate we've sent Zero and Forte to!" 

"Where are they right now?" The monitor begins to zoom in as Ciel begins typing in another computer until a similar map shows up.

"This isn't good…"

"What is it?"

"We've just sent Forte and Zero to the remains of Ragnarok…" Prairie checks the monitors to check for herself and realizes the words are true.

"This day seems to get more dangerous by the hour." Prairie sighs as she looks at the map. _Forte, come back from Ragnarok this time, please. You too, Zero, both of you better return safely._

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"This isn't working very well!" Prometheus begins digging at a slower rate and growls in frustration. "It seems whenever we remove a rock, another one just comes and takes its place."

"If you have a… better idea… we'll be glad to hear it." Harpuia continues to dig a way out, but he and everyone else in the room is already showing signs of trouble in their systems. _We're running out of time, and we seemed to have barely made any progress at all!_ Harpuia begins reaches for the hilt of his saber and puts it against the rocks.

"What are you doing, you'll set off the bomb!" Fefnir looks at Harpuia for an explanation, but the determined look on Harpuia's face was enough to convince the red reploid that he knew what he was doing. 

"We've got no more time left. This could be our only chance to get out." Harpuia activates his beam saber and it slowly goes through the rocks. Harpuia pulls it out as sunlight shines in the cave and the toxic gas begins to leave, getting a sight of relief from everyone. 

Everyone sighs with relief and then Harpuia begins with the next part of his plan. "I'm going attempt to contact Prairie. On the count of three, I want you all to ram down the rocks."

"Are you crazy!? If we do that, we'll get ourselves killed." Prometheus tries to look at the others for support, but sees everyone trusts Harpuia. He looks at Pandora, who's silently weighing the possibilities of Harpuia's plan working. "What do you think about this?"

"This looks like our only possible way of getting out of here." Pandora concludes after a few seconds.

"Alright, but if anything bad happens, just remember that I'm not responsible."

Harpuia nods and removes the communicator from his helmet. He grabs it with his hand and moves it outside the crack he made. "Prairie, Ciel, are the two of you there?"

"H… Harpuia, is that you?" Harpuia holds the communicator up higher as he tries to get a better signal. "What's happening, are all of you alright?"

"We're fine, but right now, we're in a pretty difficult situation." Harpuia pauses for a moment. "Listen, can you teleport us out at the count of three? We're stuck somewhere right now, and it's important to get out of here as soon as we can."

"Alright, I'll bring the Guardians we've sent with all of you back. Tell me when you're ready." Everyone looked outside to see white life surround the unconscious green uniformed soldiers until they were the only people left in the blast radius.

"Are all of you ready?" Harpuia looks back at the others as they nod. "One…" X readies his buster, Prometheus gets out his scythe, Leviathan draws her staff, Pandora points her staff toward the rocks, and Fefnir's hand begins to glow. "Two… Three!" Harpuia draws his other blade and creates a whirlwind attack.

Everyone attacks simultaneously as the bomb begins to beep very fast. "Alright, we've got a signal! Prepare for transfer immediately!" White light begins to surround everyone as the bomb explodes. The cave is destroyed as rocks begin flying in every direction, but the reploids managed to get out on time. 

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**Guardian HQ**

"That was a close one…" X's buster transforms back to his hand as he goes to the wall for support. "I don't think any of us could have survived another minute in there. How are the others doing?" X looks at Prairie and Ciel.

"Vent and Aile just returned from their mission, but Forte and Zero are still out there. All of you look like you're near a system shutdown, maybe you should go to the medic wing." The others nod in agreement to Ciel's suggestion as they head toward the exit. "It looks like this will be the last battle with Yuriskah. If Forte and Zero can't defeat him, then I don't know who can."

"I really don't like this, sis. Forte doesn't have a lot of experience in combat and Zero isn't in his best state right now." Prairie thinks back to their capabilities and what they know of Yuriskah so far. "It looks like even Zero might not make it out of this one."

"I'm sure Zero knows what he's doing, he always does. He's been in tougher situations before, all we can do now is trust them." Ciel looks back to the monitor. "As for Forte, he's lived for longer than all of us, I'm sure he knows how to stay alive."

"I guess you're right…" Prairie clutches onto her pink doll as she thinks back to the events that happened one hundred years ago.

_I know I've said this a lot of times Zero, but be careful and come back to us alive. Right now, we need you more than ever, so promise me that I'll be able to see you again after all of this._

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**Ragnarok Remains**

"This is where I first awakened…" Forte and Zero begin to look around as they search for any signs of disturbance. Forte turns to Zero after ten minutes of looking for clues. "Did you find anything yet?"

"No, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong here. Still, I hate just being here, brings back some bad memories." Zero sighs as he checks around. "Maybe there was something wrong with the signals, and there isn't any threat here."

Forte looks and notices another passage that they haven't explored yet. "Look! Over there!" Zero follows the direction that Forte is pointing at and enters the new passage. "Do you see anything?" Forte follows from behind as he looks around.

"That's strange. This leads directly to a dead end…" Realization dawns on Zero as the last word leaves his mouth. "Get out of here now!" Zero pushes Forte out as energy bars begin to form from the entrance to the passage, trapping Zero in. "It was a trap all along!" 

"Well, I wouldn't want to take my chances with two people at once, now would I?" Yuriskah enters the room to find Forte and Zero. "Well, I expected to fight Zero first, but I'm not picky. I'll defeat you first."

A red saber begins to form in Yuriskah's hands and he begins walking closer to Forte. "This is where it all ends for the two of you!" 

Forte's two arms transform into two purple blades as Yuriskah moves closer. Forte manages to cross his blades in a defensive position and stop Yuriskah's attack as he strikes. "You'll be the one getting defeated today!"

"Well, seems like you've gotten just as powerful as Girouette said. That's a good thing. I need you to be strong when I absorb you!" Yuriskah jumps back as he prepares to strike again.

Zero clutches his Z-Saber as he swings again at the energy bars, trying to break free of his prison. _Forte might be strong, but I don't think he's ready to face an opponent like Yuriskah yet. I need to get out of here fast and help him!_ Zero slashes again, noticing some damage before clutching his chest in pain and falling down on the ground. _Damn it! Not now!_

"It seems like you're in a hurry to die, Zero. Don't worry, I'll deal with you soon enough. I've heard about the problems you've been having from Girouette, so you better just stand back and recover your strength. After all, I want a challenge from the Legendary Reploid Hero." 

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This battle will probably spawn several chapters before Yuriskah is defeated, but that doesn't mean that Forte will return to normal just yet… Anyways, remember to tell me what you guys think so far by leaving reviews, I'll update faster if I get that. :)


	25. Chapter 24: Mirrored Opposites

Wow, my story was at the second page there for a few days. Anyways, for hound of drak's question, it's kind of hard to explain the relationship between Vent and Aile.

In the game, if you choose Vent, Aile doesn't exist, and vice versa. Some say that Vent's just a male form of Aile, some say they may be related, some say they exist in different universes, but Capcom has no official explanation. Let's just use the story I wrote for the relationship between Vent and Aile, since background didn't really give any details about that.

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**Ragnarok Ruins**

"DIE!" Forte's feet lift off the ground as the wind starts to rapidly circulate around him. Yuriskah puts his arm over his mouth and nose as dust and grass begin to surround the area.

Yuriskah whips his arm out as a purple blade appears from all the dust in the air. A loud clang is heard as the two blades meet. Yuriskah pushes Forte back, stopping the attack. Forte executes a flip in the air and lands while the wind settles again.

"How did you know where I was?"

"You may be powerful, but the direction you approached from was very predictable. If you keep this up, then you won't even be able to get close to touching me."

"We'll see about that!" Forte points his sword at Yuriskah, but Yuriskah stands there unconcerned of his opponent's plans. Forte's sword starts to glow and slowly change shape until it transformed into a buster. "Let's see you try to dodge this!"

Forte fires as a large violet energy shot leaves his buster. Small blue trails of plasma from the tail seem to become even thinner and longer as it accelerates toward Yuriskah. Yuriskah spins around and avoids the blast at the last second, allowing the blast to hit a nearby rock, completely shattering it to dust.

"Is that all?" Forte growls in frustration and he points the buster at Yuriskah. _I'll show him. Let's see him try to dodge this!_ Forte turns his buster onto auto-fire mode as rapid small plasma blasts leave his buster.

Yuriskah begins to run in a counter-clockwise circle around Forte turns to try and hit the silver haired reploid. After Forte turns three hundred sixty degrees, Yuriskah jumps up into the air and pulls out a dagger from his sleeve.

_I can't stop the attack… Damn it!_ Forte continues spinning out of control, hitting rocks and the decaying pieces of Ragnarok as he tries to stop. Yuriskah moves his arm back for a throw and whips it forward while flicking his wrist.

The beam dagger slices the very air as a whistling sound is heard. The tip of the dagger digs through Forte's armor as he screams in pain. Forte puts his uninjured hand onto the handle of the dagger as electricity surges through his body. Forte rips out the dagger and manages to stand up as blood escapes from his mouth.

_I'm losing too many fluids too fast! I can't see straight…_ Forte tries to focus on Yuriskah, but only finds a silver and black blur headed in his direction. _He's coming closer. What am I suppose to do!?_

"I wanted to have a challenge to regain my true power, but I guess I'll have to get my fun from fighting X." The blur starts to move closer as Forte struggles to keep his eyes open. Forte presses a few buttons on his buster and his armor becomes a shade of white. _**Rapid Recovery Mode: Activated** Just a bit more time…_

The blur disappears for a second and reappears right in front of Forte. Yuriskah brings his knee into Forte's gut as he falls down in pain. Yuriskah puts his hand on Forte's face and then it starts to glow.

"If you don't struggle, then I'll make this as painless as possible. Well, maybe not painless."

**_Recovery Complete: Switching to Battle Mode._** Forte's armor transforms into a blue color as he opens his eyes. "Get off of me!" Forte fires something, but Yuriskah doesn't seem to cringe.

"Looks like you've run out of energy. Tough luck!" Forte puts his feet against Yuriskah's stomach and kicks with all his might, pushing the larger reploid off. "You're already at your end, Forte! Don't bother delaying the inevitable!"

"You should pay more attention to what your opponents doing." Yuriskah looks on his coat at hearing Forte's comment and sees a small blue and red beeping object attached to the arm cuffs on his coat.

"A Remote Mine!" Yuriskah tries to remove the beeping object, but it starts to beep more rapidly and then exploding. Forte watches the black and silver figure fall down from the ground, crashing into a huge stone pillar and crushing it before sinking even further into the ground and creating a crater.

"Did I do it?"

The dust cleared and Forte gasps in surprise as he sees Yuriskah. One of his arm is dislocated from the looks of its position, and his coat is ripped, revealing a less bulky version of Forte's black armor.

"I underestimated you. This will be more of a challenge than I first thought." Yuriskah throws his coat into the air as billows into a passageway. Forte takes a closer look and sees Yuriskah black armor, resembling a less bulky version of his own.

_If he looked any bulkier with a helmet, then he'd look almost just like me._ Forte looks at Yuriskah and his eyes widen when he realizes that all Yuriskah's injuries from his previous attacks are gone.

"Oh, since we're fighting seriously now, then I thought I'd even it up a bit so none of us have any disadvantages. My repair nanomachines are just as advanced as yours." Yuriskah dashes at Forte. Forte transforms his buster into a sword and slashes at Yuriskah, but before the attack could connect, Yuriskah jumps back at the last moment.

"What are you trying to pull!?"

"Die," Yuriskah lifts his hand up to reveal his other hand pulling a pistol. Yuriskah squeezes the trigger shooting Forte's buster. Forte's buster transforms back into his hand and he clutches it in pain as it starts to sizzle.

"Hehe, that was too easy!" Yuriskah slashes with his saber in an arc, launching a sonic wave at Forte. The wave cuts Forte in the shoulder of his injured arm and Yuriskah smiles.

"Well, it was pretty interesting while it lasted, but I guess now's the time to end this battle!" Yuriskah lunges at Forte with his blade, but a crescent blade appears on Forte's uninjured hand. Forte throws it at Yuriskah, hitting him in the shoulder and forcing him to stop.

Forte continues his attack by transforming his hand into a buster, shooting several shots at Yuriskah, but not hitting him. "You need to improve your aim if you want to hit me!" Yuriskah lunges at Forte again, but something cuts him from behind, knocking him down.

Forte raises his hand up as the blade he threw earlier returned to his hand. "I didn't intend to hit you with my buster shots. It was just to get you in place for my blade's rebound attack."

Yuriskah stands back up again as he wipes the dust off his armor. "You're getting stronger as we fight, interesting. Let's just see what your limit is!" Yuriskah's blade disappears and two pistols appear on his hands.

He raises his arms up and fires several small energy blasts into the air. The blasts turn in mid-air and start to fall in Forte's direction. Forte jumps backward to avoid the attack, but bumps into a rock pillar.

Yuriskah begins to move forward at the same speed of the incoming blast. _Oh great, just my luck._ Forte summons an ice wall and lifts it up. He throws it at the energy shot in the air to nullify it, and then looks down to deal with Yuriskah, but finds Yuriskah stabbed his leg with a blue blade.

_Wait, something isn't right. I didn't take any damage!_ Forte notices ice beginning to form on his feet and it starts to rise up on his armor. Yuriskah smiles as he pulls out his blade from Forte and it morphs into a red color.  
Yuriskah stabs his red saber in the ground and brings it up with roll, shattering the ice on Forte and cutting him along the center of his chest. Forte rises into the air from Yuriskah's attack and then begins to fall toward Yuriskah.

_I need to stop my descent!_ Forte looks down to see Yuriskah with his blade upward, ready to impale him when he lands. "What are you going to do now? One false move and you're finished!"

Forte transforms both his arms into busters and fires in the air to change the angle of his fall. Forte lands to the right of Yuriskah, and transforms his hand into a blade just in time to stop Yuriskah's blade from piercing him.

Yuriskah kicks Forte with his foot, knocking the black reploid away before his saber begins to glow. "It's already obvious who the winner will be before the battle even began, and your injuries have made it all the more clear!"

"These injuries are nothing. I will beat you!"

"This is getting tiresome. Disappear!" Yuriskah whips out his blade, sending out a large white crescent wave towards Forte. Forte dashes to the side to avoid the attack, but screams in pain as his left arm gets caught in the attack.

The attack disperses and Forte looks at his left arm to find the metal slowly beginning to turn grey. **_Error! Error! Left Arm Response Systems have been shut down!_** "What did you do!?"

"That's a new move I created in my spare time. Any metal the attack touches will be infected with a virus, and will slowly corrode. Your arm has been rendered useless, and soon it will spread through your whole body! You should have given up when you had the chance."

"I told you that… I…" Forte puts his right hand on his left arm. "WON'T LOSE!" Forte screams as he rips out his left arm and tosses it aside, revealing ripped circuitry and electricity coming out of his arms.

"Looks like you've gotten really desperate. This battle is taking too long. I no longer have any interest in fighting you, so you can expect to lose soon."

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**Guardian HQ**

"Alright, we're all ready to go to Ragnarok." X and the others walk into the Commander's Room.

"Are you sure all your injuries are repaired?" Prairie looks at Vent and Aile doubtfully, looking at the cuts and bruises on their body.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Aile cringes for a moment while saying that, but regains her composure and flashes a weak grin at Prairie.

"You'll probably all go anyways regardless of what we say." Ciel points to the trans-servers. "This won't take you to the exact location of Zero and Forte, but they shouldn't be too far off from where you'll end up."

"Alright, let's hurry up and go. I hate being cooped up in one place for so long, it gets boring." Prometheus and Pandora step onto the trans-servers, and the others follow soon afterwards.

"Preparing to load co-ordinates to the trans-server," an operator hits a few keys onto the computer. "Loading complete, preparing for transfer!"

"Good luck. I want you all to come back alive." As Prairie finish speaking, everyone is transported out of the room. "Zero, Forte, the two of you better come back with them as well."

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**Ragnarok Ruins**

The eight of them teleport into an area with pieces of metal, some large and some small, mixed with the earth and grass. Harpuia looks around at the remains of Ragnarok, but sees no signs of Zero or Forte. "Where should we start looking for them?"

"I say we split up and then try to find them." Prometheus suggests and receives a nod from the others. "Alright, Pandora, let's go." The two reploids leave the area as the others decide on the groups.

"I'll go with Fefnir, Leviathan will go with Harpuia, and Vent will go with Aile. Does anyone have any problems with that arrangement?" The others nod as they split up and head in separate directions.

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"Will this do?" Prometheus stops at a huge chunk of Ragnarok, about ten meters in width and twice as tall as he is. Prometheus looks at his white armored partner, and receives a nod.

"Alright, Phantom, we found a piece of Ragnarok that should be suitable." Prometheus pulls out a communicator from a hidden pocket in his cape, and a hologram of Phantom's face appears.

"Transport it over here right now and then we'll be able to start with the next phase of our plan."

"Got it," Pandora and Prometheus move away and they put their hands on the two ends of the Ragnarok chunk. The piece of Ragnarok begins to glow and then disappear, leaving only a patch of dirt where the large piece of metal once was.

"Alright, should we return back to base?" Prometheus picks up the communicator to contact Phantom again.

"No, keep us informed about the movement of the Guardians. It pays to be two steps ahead of the competition."

"Roger that, Prometheus out," The hologram of Phantom's disappears and the purple reploid feels someone tapping his shoulder.

"Let's keep going, we don't need the others catching on to Lord W's plans." The white armored reploid receives a grunt from her partner as a reply, and the two walk off to search for Zero and Forte.

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"See anything yet?"

"That's the fifth time you asked, and for the last time, the answer is NO!" Harpuia sighs as he tries to block out Leviathan's chattering.

"Aww, you don't have to be so mean, Harpy. I was just curious. You really hurt my feelings with your outburst." Leviathan starts to sniffle a bit and Harpuia pauses.

"I know you're just pretending. You can stop that." Harpuia pauses as he looks at his cerulean companion. Leviathan just sniffles a bit louder and Harpuia pauses for a bit. _Is she really crying? I don't think I did anything wrong, but…_

"Now, you're calling me a liar. That just adds insult to injury. You've become so mean today." Leviathan starts to rub her eyes with her hands and Harpuia notices a drop of liquid rolling down her cheeks.

_I think she's really crying! I have to do something quick… Come on, think…_ "Uh… Look, I'm really sorry alright. How about I make it up to you…" Harpuia searches for possible ways to mend his relationship. "…by taking you to that new restaurant in Inner?"

"Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise. Just stop crying, alright?" Leviathan stops crying right away and Harpuia looks on her hand to see a block of ice, realizing that he's been tricked, again.

"Alright, you owe me a date when this is over. Come on, let's hurry." Leviathan rushes off, leaving Harpuia. Harpuia sighs before going after the cerulean reploid. _Sometimes I really wonder if it's worth it to be in a relationship with her…_

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Forte's arm goes down as Yuriskah brings down his blade on his. _If I still had my other arm, then maybe I could do something!_ Yuriskah puts both his hands on the handle as he pushes Forte's sword to the ground.

"How does it feel to be overpowered?"

"I'll tell you when that happens!" Forte concentrates all his strength as he rips his sword upward, knocking Yuriskah's blade out of his hands. "I told you I won't lose!"

Forte charges at Yuriskah and jumps up with his saber raised. "I'll make you pay for everything you did!" Forte brings his saber down, but stops before he could touch Yuriskah. **_Error! Main systems have been damaged! Preparing for system shut down!_**

Forte looks down to see Yuriskah's hand. In Yuriskah's hand, he's wielding another dark purple blade, identical to the one he just knocked out of his hand, impaling his chest. "If an opponent doesn't know everything about you, then you have the advantage."

Yuriskah grabs Forte by the neck and pulls his blade out of Forte. He then drops the ebony reploid out of the ground before moving away.

"I'll take care of you for good later." Yuriskah drops his sword and it hits the ground, part of the blade going through the ground. "Die."

Yuriskah's dark purple blade starts to glow and cracks begin to form in the ground. Forte looks beneath his feet as the earth splits, causing him to fall. Forte grabs onto the ground with his remaining arm as he tries to pull himself up. _I have to hold on. I can still make it!_

"You actually still think you can live?" Yuriskah punches the ground, causing the piece of the earth that Forte's holding onto to split. Forte screams as his silhouette begins to fall deep into the dark chasm.

"Bye bye." Yuriskah waves at the disappearing figure and stops when Forte's scream is no longer heard. Yuriskah goes to his saber and picks it up, causing the ground to close again. Yuriskah gets his other saber and looks just in time to see the energy prison he trapped Zero in break.

"Zero, I'm afraid you're already too late now."

"What? Forte's…"

"He's not dead yet, but I'll go down and retrieve the remains of his power once I deal with you."

"Bring it on!" Zero grabs the hilt of his Z-Saber, but stops as a sudden pain begins to spread throughout his body, paralyzing him. _This is getting worse! I can't fight…_ Zero's knees touch the ground as he tries to support himself with his arms.

"This will be even easier than I thought." Yuriskah grabs the saber that Forte knocked out of his hand and sheaths one of his two sabers. He swings it in a arc and sends a sonic wave towards the crimson reploid.

The wave gets closer to Zero as dust begins to form. A huge explosion is heard and Yuriskah smiles. "Looks like the Legendary Hero isn't so tough after all," the dust begins to clear and Yuriskah makes out the shadow of three figures in the settling dust.

"The two mini Rockmans, I figured you'd show up sooner or later." Vent and Aile appear as the dust clear with their buster raised, defending Zero.

"Be careful, he's strong." Zero warns before covering his eyes with his hands. _My vision's becoming blurry._

"Yuriskah, give up right now or we'll be forced to fight you!" Vent and Aile begin to charge their X-Buster as the black reploid begins to walk closer.

"Aww, that's cute. You actually think you stand a chance." Yuriskah disappears and reappears behind Vent, slashing him with his saber and forcing him to revert to his human form.

Yuriskah then turns to Aile and puts his arm around her neck, pointing his saber at it with his free hand. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

_I have to…_ Aile reaches into her pockets to grab a biometal, but drops it and it begins to roll away. _Oh no!_

"Too bad!" Yuriskah lets go of Aile's neck and pushes her onto the ground. He points his sword downwards and brings it down, but stabs only dirt. "She's gone?"

_Who saved me?_ Aile looked to see red armored arms carrying her to safety. "Zero?" Aile notices that they stopped moving and gets a better look at her rescuer. Aile gasps in recognition.

The shattered visor and the crystal on his head proves her first guess wrong as she and Vent whisper out one word simultaneously. "Boss…"

"I won't let you touch these two, Yuriskah! I've come to defeat you once and for all to stop this madness!" Girouette pulls out his Z-Saber and points it at the black armored reploid.

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I've been very busy with homework lately because of Spring Break approaching and all. I can barely keep track of all the tests and projects in the next week.

I think this chapter was done pretty well, I feel like I'm getting better with every new chapter I type. Anyways, was that unexpected for you guys? Remember to read and review!


	26. Chapter 25: Girouette's Last Battle

Well, for the people still reading this fic, I've been busy this week since it's nearing the end of term two at my school, so sorry that I haven't really been able to update recently.

As for NeoCopyMan's suggestion of putting in a bit more about Vent and Aile's relationship, I'll try to do that after the situation with Yuriskah, and tell me what exactly you mean by suspense. This fight is turning out to be as long as one of those final boss battles, but anyways, enjoy:

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**Ragnarok Ruins**

Girouette lunges at Yuriskah while holding his green Z-Saber forward, prepared to rip through his chest. Girouette prepares to drive his saber into the black armored figure as he gets closer, but Yuriskah knocks the Z-Saber away from his hand with a flick of his arm.

The Z-Saber flies through the air and lands on the ground as Yuriskah elbows Girouette in the stomach, knocking him backwards.

"It was really stupid of you to think that you'd be able to stand a chance in your current state. You wouldn't have stood a chance at full power, but yet you decided to come anyways to defend your old employees."

"My job as a guardian is to take care of Vent and Aile, I've decided that the moment I took them into Giro Express. Nothing, not even you, can change that!" Girouette jumps into the air and launches a green sonic wave at Yuriskah.

"We've been through this already, that won't work!" A purple saber appears in Yuriskah's hand as he slashes forward, sending a purple sonic wave to meet Girouette's attack. The two waves meet and explode into a flash of light on contact, illuminating the area. 

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Vent and Aile put their hands over their eyes to shield themselves from the bright flash. "What's happening? Where's boss?" Vent searches the area with his eyes for any signs of his former boss and Yuriskah, but the light blocks everything from view.

"We need to help Boss out now! He can't fight like this for long." Aile reaches for Model X in her pockets and looks at Vent. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I can be for now." The two of them stand next to each other as they both put their hands on Model X. "Rock-on!"

The biometal spreads into white beams of light as it surrounds the two chosen ones. The white beams solidify into a blue armor and lastly, a buster forms on their right hand. _Hang on a bit longer, boss, we're coming to help you._

The two blue armored chosen ones dash into the light to search for their former boss and to help him. 

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"Come out and fight, Girouette!" Yuriskah jumps onto a pillar as he scans the area for any signs of his prey. "Hiding won't get you anywhere." Yuriskah waits for a few moments but gets no response. "Fine, guess we'll just do this the hard way."

Yuriskah lets go of his purple saber and raises his hand upwards. A pistol forms in his hand as the saber hits the rock next to him with a clang. Yuriskah fires upwards three times as large plasma shots shoot upwards. The shots start to slow down and spread apart into tiny plasma bullets.

The bullets start to rain down on the entire area surrounding Yuriskah as he listens for Girouette. Two grunts are heard as he heads toward the direction. "Well, the purpose of that attack was to lure out the fake Zero, but I guess I can use his two ex-employees to force him out of hiding as well."

Yuriskah sees Vent and Aile in his line of sight as he squeezes his trigger. Vent and Aile jump out of the way as the purple shot explodes on the ground, scratching Vent and Aile's armor as they separate.

"Take this, charge shot!" Aile fires her X-Buster, sending out a large blue plasma attack Yuriskah shields himself from the attack with his arm and starts to move back as the blunt force of the attack pushes him. Yuriskah flicks his whole arm upwards and redirects the charged buster shot into the air.

"Rock-on!" Vent's armor changes to a red shade and he charges at Yuriskah with the ZX Saber. Yuriskah kneels down as Vent gets close and trips him by swiping in an arc with his legs. The silver haired reploid stands up again to grab onto Vent's neck and slams him onto the ground. 

Vent screams in pain as his back hits the hard rocks on the floor, hearing the sound of his armor shattering and bones cracking. Aile watches in shock as Vent's screams of pain pierce the air. _I have to do something… I won't let Yuriskah get away with this!_

"DIE!" Aile launches another charged shot from her X-Buster, this time a lot stronger than the last. The blue blast speeds through the air and explodes when it reaches Yuriskah, giving the silver haired reploid no time to deflect it.

_Did I get him this time?_ Aile lowers her buster as she begins to pant in exhaustion. _I don't think I can keep doing this any longer… That attack took all I had._ Aile looks up as the smoke clears to see the figure of Yuriskah.

The black reploid points a second purple blade forward as he begins to walk closer to Aile. Aile looks at the silver haired reploid and sees the only damage that her attack left was the smoke from his saber. _He completely blocked that attack! I have to stop him now!_

Aile raises her buster to fire again, but lowers her buster as she coughs out blood. _What's happening? I can't see…_ Aile focuses her vision and realizes that Yuriskah managed to close the distance between them in that split second she raised her buster.

Aile's eyes start to focus on her stomach as she sees pieces of blue armor on the ground and Yuriskah's elbow digging into it. Blood starts to pour down Aile's chin as she struggles to maintain consciousness. _I'm losing too much blood… I won't be able to…_

Her armor changes into a white color and then they all form together to revert back to the original biometal form and Aile falls down as Yuriskah takes out his elbow. "You and your partner are both weaklings. No matter how hard you try humans like you will never be able to beat me."

_Is that true? It seems that no matter what we do, in the end, I and Vent aren't changing anything._ Aile's focus shifts to Vent, lying a few feet away from her. "Vent…"

Aile reaches her hand out and so does Vent, but they both know that the distance between them is too vast. The two of their hands drop to the ground from exhaustion and Yuriskah laughs at their attempt. "It surprises me what stupid things you humans will try to do to make yourself feel better. I'll rid the world of the two of you soon enough."

Yuriskah moves his blade backwards as he prepares to slash at Aile. "YURISKAH!" Yuriskah turns to face the source of the voice and he quickly raises his purple saber up in defense as a green saber almost chops off his head.

"Girouette, you're a bit late, don't you think?" Yuriskah knocks Girouette's Z-Saber away as he jumps backward.

"I'll kill you for what you did to them!" Girouette's other arm comes into view as Yuriskah lifts his eyebrows up in surprise. Girouette is wielding a glowing purple saber, the same one that Yuriskah left behind earlier.

"Don't blame this all on me just to make yourself feel better. Besides, if you haven't attacked them earlier, then maybe they would have stood a chance against me." Yuriskah watches Girouette's exposed eyes and sees the desire to kill in it.

"DIE!" Girouette starts to swing the two blades at Yuriskah recklessly as the silver haired reploid attempts to deflect the attacks. Girouette increases his pace and he begins to push forward, forcing Yuriskah to move back.

_He's stronger than before. Where did all this strength suddenly come from!?_ Girouette slashes with both his blades in an X pattern, catching Yuriskah's blade and knocking it out of the black reploid's hands.

"It's over now!" Aile slowly opens her eyes to see her former boss swinging two blades from opposite directions as he attempts to severe Yuriskah's head. The next few moments seem to slow down as Aile watches in horror.

Yuriskah drops his purple saber and leans backward as the two blades come closer. The sabers miss his head by an inch as strands of his silver hair are cut off. Two pistols appear in Yuriskah's hand as he fires it at Girouette, one hitting him in the knee and the other one in the chest.

Girouette begins to fall down in pain, but Yuriskah's hand drives straight through Girouette's chest before he touches the ground. "Now it's over!"

"BOSS!" Vent regains consciousness as he hears Aile's scream. Vent opens his eyes in time to see his former boss falling down as the silver haired reploid takes his arm out of Girouette's chest.

"NO!" Both Vent and Aile dash up to their former boss as Yuriskah watches in amusement. "Boss, don't die on us again! We need you…" 

"Vent… Aile… you both grew up more than I could hope for since I left you. I'm sorry about what I did. I don't have a lot of time left now. I can feel my main life support systems shutting down as we speak." 

"Boss, please don't say that!" Tears begin to drop from Vent and Aile's eyes and it splashes on Girouette's armor. "You can still make it…"

Yuriskah cackles in delight as he starts rolling on the ground laughing. The two chosen ones look at the black armored reploid as he regains composure. "You humans and your emotions. This is so disgusting that it becomes funny and interesting to watch you struggle with your feelings."

"Yuriskah! This has gone on long enough!" Yuriskah stops laughing to look at the source of the voice.

"Zero? You can still walk? Well, that's a surprise, but even you should realize you're not a threat to me at this point." Zero reaches for his Z-Saber, but winces in discomfort. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Your problem hasn't been fixed yet." 

"Zero…" Zero looks on the ground to see the dying Girouette. "I can help you… take the remains of what I have left…"

"But Boss! If you do that, then you'll be…" Aile tries to wipe her tears as she tries to think about what he's suggesting. _If he does that, then he'll cease to live._

"Sorry, but that's just something I can't do." Zero looks at the battered Girouette. "I won't sacrifice someone else just to fix my own problems."

"Zero… We've been partners for quite a long time now. If you hadn't lent me your strength so many years back, I wouldn't have been able to protect Vent and Aile. Now, I want to lend you my strength, so that you can grant me one last favor. I won't be able to stay alive by the end of today one way or another." Girouette gets out his hand as Zero takes it. "Please, this is something that I knew I had to do."

"Well, are the four of you finished with your moment yet or should I wait a bit longer?" Yuriskah inspects his hands as though it's more interesting to him than Girouette's death to show his boredom. 

"Alright, Girouette. I'll grant you your one last wish."

"Thank you, Zero." Girouette begins to glow before his body disappears, leaving only a white light in the spot he once laid.

"BOSS!" Vent and Aile scream out simultaneously as their former boss disappear into nothingness. The white light begins to surround Zero and expand, causing the chosen ones and Yuriskah to cover their eyes for protection against the bright rays.

_I can feel the pain disappearing. My systems are starting to work better than they ever did._ Zero moves his limbs to find that he didn't have any troubles or pains. **_Systems Operating at Maximum. Ultimate Form Activated_**

The light begins to die down as Vent, Aile, and Yuriskah open their eyes. The three of them see Zero in black armor and wielding a blue Z-Saber. Yuriskah quickly jumps away as he prepares his two pistols. 

"No! This can't be! I'll still crush you no matter what color your armor is!" Yuriskah starts firing rapidly from his pistol at Zero, but Zero blocks all the bullets with a few swift movements.

_I have the advantage now, Yuriskah's battles are beginning to take its toll on him._ Yuriskah drops his pistols and his two sabers materialize. The silver haired reploid brings the blades together as they merge into a larger and longer blade.

"Vent, Aile stay back and let me take care of this one." The two chosen ones nod as they move out of the way.

"You're not going anywhere!" Yuriskah lunges at the two chosen ones, but Zero's saber meets his sword. The two chosen ones move away and Zero shifts his attention back to the silver haired reploid.

"I managed to defeat Forte one hundred years back, so there's no reason I can't defeat you!" Zero slashes his saber downwards, keeping Yuriskah's sword on the ground. Electricity begins to flow through his free hand as he thrusts it forward, sending a spear in the form of blue lightning to strike Yuriskah through the chest. 

Yuriskah rips his sword out from under Zero's Z-Saber and backs away while clutching the hole in his chest. "Don't think you can defeat me so easily!" Some of the remains of Ragnarok around Yuriskah begin to glow before disappearing. Yuriskah's hole in his chest is filled as if nothing happened. "As long as there's metal around, I can speed up my recovery."

"Well that's not going to work forever."

"It won't need to." Yuriskah sword begins to glow a dark purple color as he slashes, sending out a black wave towards Zero. Zero sidesteps the attack, but notices the attack hit a pillar beside him.

_He wasn't aiming at me the whole time!_ Zero draws his Z-Buster and fires at the falling pillar, shattering it into pieces. Zero puts away his Z-Buster and unsheathes his Z-Saber again, executing a spin slash and protecting himself from the falling debris.

Yuriskah appears right in front of Zero just as he destroys the last rock. Zero manages to block Yuriskah's sword with his own just in time, but the silver haired reploid doesn't pull back. _Does he really think that this will work?_

Yuriskah smiles as he grabs his sword with both hands. The sword splits into the two purple blades that first formed it. One blade keeps the Z-Saber in place while the other one begins to glow. Yuriskah slashes at Zero, sending out a weaker purple wave, but the attack hits him full force and pushes him to a pillar.

_UGH! It's either Forte gotten stronger in the one hundred years since we last fought, or I got weaker._ Zero recovers from the attack and dashes at Yuriskah again. Yuriskah sticks his blade into the ground and flings it forward, sending sand to impair Zero's vision.

**_Heat Sensors Activated_** Zero sees the heat from Yuriskah just in time to be knocked away by his sword. Zero scans the area to see the piece of Ragnarok he's about to hit. Zero turns and his legs touch the piece of metal. Zero pushes himself back toward Yuriskah as he flies through the air.

**_Reverting to Optical Sensors_** Zero's vision returns to normal as a cold air surrounds his Z-Saber. Ice begins to form on his weapon as he stabs down at Yuriskah, freezing his right arm.

"I can't… move… my sword." Yuriskah struggles to free himself as Zero prepares for the next attack. "I won't let you beat me!" 

Flames surround the Z-Saber as he executes an uppercut. The silver haired reploid slams himself down on the ground, right hand first, to avoid the attack as the ice shatters. A pistol appears on Yuriskah's and he fires it at Zero.

_I can't defend like this!_ The blast hits Zero full force, sending him flying higher into the air. Yuriskah flies after the crimson reploid as he draws his sword, but Zero brings out his Z-Saber to block the attack.

"Just give up already!" Zero pushes Yuriskah down with his foot and they land on the ground safely. _He's a lot stronger than I first thought._

Yuriskah dashes at Zero again, but a red fireball slams into him from behind and knocks him down to the ground. "Sorry we're late, we couldn't pinpoint your location until you started making a scene."

Fefnir, X, Harpuia, and Leviathan appear in the area as smoke comes out of Fefnir's twin buster. Yuriskah stands up again, but Leviathan slams her staff into the ground, freezing Yuriskah's feet.

X points his buster at the immobilized black reploid as the buster begins to gather energy. "Alright, Yuriskah, come with us peacefully. You've already lost."

Yuriskah begins to laugh, getting a confused look from the five reploids. "Haven't any of you wondered yet why there aren't any mechaniloids in here? It's because I've sent them to attack Guardian HQ!"

"What!?" Zero gets out his Z-Saber and points it at Yuriskah. "Call them off now!"

"I intentionally spread out Girouette, myself, and the bomb to attract attention so you would all leave. By now, my mechaniloids have probably already destroyed all of your friends."

"You guys all go back! I'll take care of Yuriskah by myself." Zero looks to the others and they all nod, including Vent and Aile. They all teleport out of the room as Yuriskah shatters the ice.

"Let's continue, shall we?" A purple light begins to appear from the chasm Yuriskah created. The earth begins to shake under both Yuriskah's and Zero's feet as they try to maintain balance.

"What did you do now?"

"I had nothing to do with this, idiot!" The shaking of the earth begins to gradually die down as the light dims. Zero looks closer at the light and notices the shadow of two wings. The light disappears and Zero gasps at the figure of Forte with black and purple armor and wings.

"No! This is impossible! You shouldn't have the ability to transform!" Both Yuriskah and Zero look at the black armored figure as he slowly begins to descend from the air.

_Wait, something's wrong. I can't quite put my finger on it, but he seems different. I don't like this one bit._

"Well, the two of you are both gathered here, lucky me. I don't know which one of you I should destroy first." Forte's mouth moves, but the voice coming out is nothing like Forte's.

"OMEGA!" The name escapes both Zero and Yuriskah's mouth as their memory files identify the voice.

"I'm glad you remember me." Forte turns to the crimson reploid hero. "Now, I heard that you merged with that other fake. This will be interesting, let's see who's stronger, two fakes or the real thing." 

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I had that whole thing planned out five chapters ahead, from Girouette's sacrifice to Omega's repossession of Forte. Anyways, just leave a review and tell me guys what you think.


	27. Chapter 26: Threeway Showdown

Well, it's finally spring break and that means more updates! Anyways, to answer some of the reviews:

ZBoi: Omega won't be making another appearance for a very very VERY long time after this chapter, and as for CielxZero, I've got something planned for that.

NeoCopyman: Zero has a lot of ultimate forms/armors, so let's just use this one for now. As for lemons, I know what they are, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to write them very well, but I'll be putting some scandals in the relationships soon.

ZEROfromtheOTHERDIMENSION: I feel sorry for him too, but things are about to get even more complicated for him after this chapter. Sorry, I've got nothing against him, but he's the easiest character to torture XD.

Well, I think that's it, on with the chapter:

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**Ragnarok Ruins**

"Do you think that controlling an injured body is going to help you defeat me?" Yuriskah points at Forte's missing arm to prove his point, but Omega just smiles. Wires begin to extend from Forte's shoulders until they take up the same space as his arms.

The pieces of Ragnarok around them begin to gather with the wire and the metal begins to glow. The light fades and Forte has both his arms as though he's never been injured. "I guess that solves that problem."

A violet saber appears in Omega's right hand and he begins dashing at his two opponents. Omega slashes at Yuriskah, but the silver haired reploid jumps back to avoid the attack. Zero fires from his Z-Buster at Omega, but he transforms his arm into a stronger buster and fires back.

Omega's violet shot absorbs Zero's and heads toward the black and blue armored reploid. Zero holds onto his Z-Saber with both his hands and puts it in front of him to block the attack. The violet energy blast pushes Zero back as he digs his foot into the ground. _That was a close one, I can't afford to get hit by any of Omega's attacks._

Zero looks down on his hand and notices chains wrapped around it. Zero follows the chains to find that Omega's the wielder.

_That weapon's like the chain rod I used to have._Zero tries to break free, but his efforts are in vain as Omega yanks the chain. Zero's feet leave the ground as the chain drags him toward Omega. Zero looks at Omega's violet saber aimed at him, preparing himself for an attack, but it never comes.

"You shouldn't have turned your back on me!" Zero makes out the tip of Yuriskah's sword coming out of Omega's chest as black and purple bits of armor begin to fall off. "I'll destroy the two of you right here!"

Yuriskah's sword begins to glow and a huge energy blast is launched from the sword, blowing both Zero and Omega aside. 

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**Guardian HQ**

"More mechaniloids have been detected approaching from the south. There's too many of them!" The operator types on the keyboard as red dots begin to appear on the radar. "We've just lost contact with another squadron."

"Our men need all the help that they can get right now." Prairie bites her lip as she looks at their rapidly dwindling numbers. "I'm going out there to help!"

"Wait, Commander!" The operator calls out to Prairie, but she's already out the door as the last syllable leaves the operator's mouth. She turns to look at Ciel, and Ciel nods.

"I'm going out there to help her. The rest of you can take over here." Ciel looks around at all the operators as they nod. Ciel exits the room as well, causing the door to close behind her. 

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**Outside Guardian HQ**

"You decided to come as well, Sis?" Prairie looks at Ciel as she reaches into her coat and pulls out a pistol.

"Of course, I'm not just going to stand by and watch our forces die out." The two of them stand together as mechaniloids begin to surround them. Prairie shoots a pantheon in the eye and takes it out in one shot.

Ciel reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small round object. She throws it at a nearby mechaniloid and four spider-like legs begin to grow out of it and attach itself to the mechaniloid. Electricity surges through the mechaniloid before it falls down.

Prairie and Ciel run past the mechaniloids while destroying anyone in their way as they run to the nearest squadron of Guardians.

"Commander Prairie! What are you doing here?" A soldier notices Prairie and Ciel enter the battlefield and the others briefly turn to confirm what they heard.

"We've come to help. What's your current situation?"

"There are only twelve of us left in this squadron and all the others have been sent to the medic wing." Prairie nods as everyone turns their attention to the approaching mechaniloids.

"There's almost no end to them. Don't give up, everyone." The Guardians all fire along with Prairie and Ciel as the mechaniloids get in firing range, but for every mechaniloid they shoot down, there seems to be two more.

"Commander, there's another group of mechaniloids approaching from behind!" An operator warns Prairie through her communicator and she quickly ducks as a galleon hunter with a jetpack misses her.

Prairie aims her pistol and shoots at the airborne enemy. Her energy bullet flies through the air and pierces the galleon hunter's jetpack. It begins to sizzle and then the jetpack explodes, taking care of all the aerial mechaniloids.

"Commander, look out!" Prairie turns just in time to see a soldier jumping in front of her, getting shot in the chest as blood begins to pour out of his wound. The soldier falls back as Prairie catches him in her arms.

"Operators, teleport this soldier to the medic wing immediately!"

"Right away," The bleeding soldier gets surrounded in a bright blue light as he disappears. Prairie hears more cries of pain as she continues to shoot down the mechaniloids. _There's too many of them! We need some help and we need it fast._

Soon, only Ciel and Prairie are left as the two of them begin panting heavily. "Sis, are you alright?"

"Just a bit tired, but I can still manage." The two of them stand back to back as mechaniloids form in a circle around them. "Get ready. We'll create a path, you follow my lead." Prairie nods as she begins shooting at the nearest mechaniloid.

The two of them begin running through the mechaniloids as they dodge any attacks before breaking through the crowd.

"Alright, on my signal, run as fast as you can." Ciel reaches into her pocket and pulls out a round device. She presses a button on it and drops it. "Now!" The two of them run as mechaniloids begin to chase them.

A huge explosion wipes out the pursuing mechaniloids, but Prairie and Ciel manage to dodge the blunt of the blast. "Did we get them all?" Prairie backs up a bit, but feels her back touching something metallic and realizes her situation too late as robotic hands grab her arms.

Prairie drops her pistol and turns to Ciel to see that a pantheon's captured her as well. Two more pantheons armed with electric blades appear as they step closer to Ciel and Prairie.

_I have to get free quick! I just need to reach…_ Ciel looks at the pantheon getting closer and moves her arm a bit as the hilt of a knife drops from her sleeves. Ciel presses a button on the hilt and a short electric blade ignites.

Ciel slams the knife into the leg of the pantheon holding her. Its grip loosens and Ciel pulls the knife out, rolling away to avoid the attack. She tosses the knife upon landing, hitting the blade pantheon and short circuiting it. Ciel retrieves the dagger and looks to find Prairie still being held by the pantheon.

As the blade pantheon nears Prairie, the Guardian Commander whips around, using her captor as a shield against the electric blade. The grip on Prairie's shoulder weakens and she breaks free, grabbing her pistol.

Prairie pulls the trigger and a yellow bullet pierces through the two pantheons. They fall down as she looks at Ciel. "That was close. What? There are more of them?"

Ciel turns to the direction that Prairie's facing to find more mechaniloids approaching. The two of them look around, but notice that they're surrounded. "Do you have any more weapons that will take them all out?"

"No, I've nothing left." Ciel reaches her pocket and pulls it out empty handed to prove her point. Prairie aims her pistol at a nearby galleon hunter and pulls the trigger, but nothing comes out.

"I'm out of ammunition. This is bad." The ground trembles beneath Prairie's feet and she's knocked down to the ground as a yellow worm mechaniloid made out of many octagonal metal shapes appears from the ground. Ciel slashes at the worm with her dagger, but the yellow mechanoid merely flinches.

_It's no good, my dagger isn't strong enough to pierce it!_ Ciel turns as a pantheon fires a bullet aimed for her head. Ciel's movement causes the bullet to hit her shoulder instead and she cries out in pain as she falls to the ground.

Prairie grabs onto Ciel's dagger and tries to stand up, but the worm mechaniloid uses its pincers to nail the Guardian Commander to the ground. Red laser dots begin to form all over Ciel and Prairie as the mechaniloids take aim.

_We could really use some help right about now…_ A large blue blast shoots through the worm mechaniloids and a bunch of others as X lowers his buster. "You guys finally decided to come."

"Just thank us for coming at all." The others teleport in as they begin to separate and destroy the mechaniloids. Prairie and Ciel look around and notice the people missing.

"Where's Zero and Forte? For that matter, where's Pandora and Prometheus?" Both Prairie and Ciel look around worriedly.

"Zero's still fighting, but I'm not sure about the others." X turns to shoot down another mechaniloid. "Vent, look out!"

A clawed pantheon jumps down from a nearby tree and lunges at Vent, but it burns in flames before it could reach the chosen one.

"As much as I'd like to see you get killed, it just isn't the same unless I'm the cause of it." Prometheus appears and later Pandora descends from the air.

"Alright, let's do this." Everyone gets out their weapons as they charge at the incoming mechaniloids. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Ragnarok Ruins**

"Ouch, that hurt." Omega stands back up as the hole in his stomach slowly begins to heal. "You know, I'm starting to get fond of this body. It's almost as good as the last time I took over Forte."

"Well, don't get too comfortable, because you aren't staying for long!" Zero charges at Omega, but the black reploid flies into the air. Omega transforms his hand into a buster and aims it downwards at Zero. Zero jumps back to avoid the attack, but Omega flies forward and his attack slices Zero's left shoulder, causing blood to drop to the floor.

"Now it's your turn." Omega descends from the sky as he walks toward the silver haired reploid. "I'll make you pay for what you tried to pull." A violet saber forms in Omega's right hand and his chain forms in the other.

Yuriskah separates his sword into two blades and Omega ties his saber to the edge of the chain. Omega spins the chain above his head, causing the sand to fly everywhere and mask his presence.

Yuriskah ducks as Omega's violet saber flies towards him. The saber gets stuck to a rock pillar and he begins to dash forward, following the chains to find Omega.

"I have you now!" Yuriskah jumps into the air as Omega enters his line of vision. His blades are raised in the air as he prepares to strike the other black reploid.

"Think again!" Omega pulls on the chain and a large pierce of rock hits Yursikah and slams the silver haired reploid onto the ground. A sickening crack sound is heard as Omega pulls the violet saber from the stone.

"OMEGA!" Omega sidesteps as Zero's blade narrowly misses him. Omega's hand touches Zero's chest as it transforms into a buster. Before the black reploid could fire, a purple laser pierces him below the chest, causing him to fall to the ground.

"You think that's enough to stop me!?" Omega stands back up and pauses for a moment. "What!? Why can't I heal?"

Yuriskah aims his pistol at the rock and fires, shattering it into pieces and then retrieving his two sabers and putting away his pistol. "Don't forget that I know about the body you're in a lot better than you do. That includes exactly where the repair systems are located."   
Yuriskah turns to look at Zero. "The two of you will both die here. I wonder, Zero, if I should maybe take you to Guardian HQ to see the dead corpse of your girlfriend before your death. Wouldn't that sound nice?"

"Don't hold your breath. Ciel isn't going to die so easily!" Zero looks at the silver haired figure, but hears a slight hint of worry in his own voice.

"Well, you obviously haven't seen the amount of mechaniloids I've sent to attack Guardian HQ. Besides, even if she does manage to survive somehow, I'll promise you that I can track her down so she can join you."

"Shut up!" Zero fires his Z-Buster at Yuriskah, but the blast doesn't even hit the silver haired reploid. _I need to try and think clearly, he's just trying to mess with my head._

Yuriskah puts his two sabers together into a sword as he jumps at Zero. Zero holds onto the hilt of his saber with both his hands as he blocks Yuriskah's attack.

"Do the two of you think you'll be able to get rid of me that easily!?" Omega spreads his wings and flies into the sky. He raises a finger upwards as storm clouds begin to form above them.

Zero and Yuriskah break apart to avoid a huge lightning blast, but Omega launches a wave from his violet saber. "I don't need to recover to defeat the two of you!"

_I can't fight the two of them at once. I need to take down one of them quickly._ Zero runs to a tall rock pillar and begins running up at a ninety degree angle. Omega fires his buster, but Zero jumps to another pillar as that one crumbles.

"You're mine!" Yuriskah appears above Omega and slices his sword down, but the blade just goes through the black reploid. "Copy vision," Yuriskah scans the area for any signs of Omega, but is interrupted by Zero firing his Z-Buster at him.

Yuriskah is knocked away by the attack, but the energy blast disappears just as his feet touch a rock pillar. The silver haired reploid pushes off the rock and lunges at Zero with his sword.

The two of them meet in mid-air, but a purple blast from above sends them both tumbling down. _This can't go on. I need to defeat Omega and quickly!_

Omega lands before Zero and he raises his saber, poised to strike. Zero's hands clap around the violet blade as he tries to push Omega back. "Just accept your fate, Zero! You're nothing!"

"That's… not… true!" Zero pushes Omega off with his feet, but Omega's wings spread out as he avoids landing violently on the ground.

Zero feels a searing pain from behind as the tip of Yuriskah's blade almost makes contact with his neck. _This just really isn't my day today._

"This is just perfect! I have the two of you right where I want you!" Omega's buster begins to charge as Yuriskah lets go. Omega fires and the large purple blast heads toward Zero. _It's too fast, I can't avoid it!_

Zero falls down to the ground as his helmet begins to crack. His helmet shatters, fully revealing his blond hair.

Omega gives Zero one last glance before moving toward the silver haired reploid. "You've been a thorn in our side for far too long. If it was any other situation, I might've offered you to join us." 

"I'm not planning to take orders from a floating piece of metal like the rest of you." Yuriskah gets out his twin pistols and begins shooting at Omega, but the black reploid just uses his wings to shield himself from the attack.

"I'll show you just how weak you are compared to me!" Omega's hands turn into flamethrowers as green flames surround the two reploids, creating a ring. "Now you won't be able to escape!"

Omega gets out his chain and attaches his violet saber to it again. He goes to the middle of the ring as his saber begins to glow.

"Are you planning to try and finish me off by throwing your chain around again?"

"Not quite." Omega raises the chain above his head and begins swinging it around in a clockwise direction. Yuriskah moves back to avoid getting hit by the attack. "It's over." Omega's saber begins to glow, creating a large ring of violet light.

The light begins to spread out and engulf Yursikah, causing his armor to crack. The light dims and Omega looks down to see blood staining the sand. He looks at the badly injured Yuriskah and smiles. "One more should finish you off!"

Omega begins spinning his chain again as Yuriskah stands up. "This… is my last chance…" Yuriskah runs forward and grabs onto the edge of Omega's chain with his right hand, stopping its movements.

A sword appears on the silver haired reploid's left hand as he begins charging forward at the black reploid. Yuriskah swings his sword after closing the gap, but screams in pain as Omega's hand punches through his stomach.

"That was a smart move, trying to stop my attack, but in the end, you're just too slow!" Omega takes his hand out as Yuriskah falls to the ground. "Now disappear from this world."

Yuriskah smiles as his lower body begins to break down into small particles of light. "As long as Forte exists, I'll never disappear from this world." Yuriskah's head disappears as well as the ring of fire dies down.

Omega goes up to Zero. "Now, Zero, should we finish what we started all those years ago?"

Zero coughs out a bit of blood as Omega picks him up by his collar. "You're nothing but a coward, Omega. Why don't you fight me in your real body?"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. Once I destroy you, maybe I should take over your body. Wouldn't that be just perfect? All your friends cheering once they think you've managed to win, and the next thing they know, the Z-Saber would be pierced through their heart."

"I won't let that happen!"

"Well, it's already too late now, there's nothing left you can do. You can probably feel all your systems shutting down one by one as we speak. Which one of your friends do you think would look best with the Z-Saber through their chest, how about Ciel?"

"Shut up!" Zero grabs his Z-Saber and he swipes at Omega. Omega lets go of Zero's collar and backs away. "This is for what you did one hundred years ago!" Zero fires his Z-Buster as Omega takes to the air.

"And this is for what you said about Ciel!" Zero slams his hand down to the ground as light rays rain down from the sky.

"What!? You shouldn't have enough energy for this type of attack!" Omega shields himself with his wings, but the force of the attack pushes him to the ground.

Zero's blade gets engulfed in flames as he performs a flaming uppercut on the falling Omega, ripping through his armor as his wings open up in response, allowing the light to pierce his stomach.

Zero looks at the defeated Omega as the black reploid tries to stand up. Zero's armor reverts back to a red color as he looks at Omega. "I won't let any of my friends be harmed."

Omega smiles, "Unless you don't count Forte as your friend, you've done just that. This isn't over yet, hypocrite, I'll always be there no matter how hard you run. Now that you've killed Forte, what makes you any different from me?" Omega surrounds his body and face with his purple and black wings as they slowly begin to disappear.

When his wings fully disappear, Zero sees Forte in his black and orange armor and catches the small reploid in his arms. "Forte!" 

"Zero… Is this what it's like… to die?"

"Don't say that! You're not going to die now…" Zero looks down at Forte's armor and sees that it's already beginning to break into fragments like Yuriskah.

"Tell the others, that I'm sorry that I couldn't…" Forte closes his eyes as his whole body transforms into fragments of light. Zero looks at his blank hands as Omega's words return to him.

"FORTE!" Zero slams his fist down to the ground as he looks around. Although the crimson reploid has managed to stop Omega, he knows this is nowhere near a victory. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Whew, that took a long time to write. I know the ending for the fight's sorta cliché, but I was running out of time and needed to end it fast. It's not over for Forte yet, but just keep reading as I update to find out what happens. Remember to leave a review :).


	28. Chapter 27: Breaking the News

Well, since there's been a fight for almost every chapter up until now, I'm gonna take a break from all the action. Don't worry, Forte fans, he'll be back after a couple of chapters, but enjoy this chapter for now:

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Outside Guardian HQ**

"Zero! You're back." Ciel gasps as she sees the crimson reploid's head. His blond hair is stained with blood and heavy wounds are also found on other parts of his body. Half of the crimson reploid's armor is cracked, revealing his black jumpsuit.

"I'm back." Zero wobbles for a bit and then collapses onto the ground as he falls unconscious. Everyone surrounds the injured reploid as Prairie takes charge.

"Operators, teleport Zero to the medic wing immediately!" Everyone backs away from Zero as he disappears in a white light. "Well, there're no more mechaniloids left, we might as well return with him." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Medic Wing**

Zero wakes up and looks to see that he has bandages all over his body. "Glad to see you're feeling better, Zero." Zero looks up to see the faces of X, Ciel, and Prairie.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"About six hours." Ciel looks at Zero as he rubs his head in pain. "What exactly happened to you and where's Forte?"

Zero sighs as he contemplates a way to break the news to the others. "Forte's…" Zero grips his blankets as he tries to force the words out of his mouth. "I killed Forte!" Zero grabs his head with both his hands as he tries to suppress the image of Forte's death from his mind.

For a few minutes, there is nothing but silence in the room until Prairie speaks up. "What do you mean?" Her voice is shaken and quiet, but the three others manage to hear it with no problem.

"During my fight with Yuriskah… Omega took over Forte's body." Zero pauses for a moment as he tries to put into words what happened. "Omega killed Yuriskah, and then I had to finish him off. I was nothing but a coward, too scared to think of any other way around it and trying to save myself…"

"Maybe it will be easier for you if you started at the beginning, Zero." Ciel looks at the crimson reploid. "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I know that it can't be your entire fault.

Zero nods and takes a deep breath as he starts telling them everything starting from when he was left alone to fight with Yuriskah. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"…after that, he just disappeared the same way Yuriskah did. There wasn't anything I could do to stop it." Zero finishes and the others are silent for a moment as they take in the information that Zero just told them.

"It's alright, Zero. If you had done anything else, Omega would have killed you and everyone else here. You did what you had to do, and we're not going to blame you for it."

"I'll go and tell the others." Prairie mutters silently as she prepares to leave.

"Wait, I found this before I came back." Zero reaches into his pocket and pulls out a red piece of metal. "This is what remains of Omega's power. This was probably how he managed to control Vent, Aile, and Forte."

"I'll go and examine it." Zero hands Ciel Model O and she heads to the door. "Are you going to be alright, Zero? Do you need anything?" Zero nods to answer the first question and shakes his head for the second one. Ciel presses a button on the door and leaves, later followed by Prairie and then the door closes behind the Guardian Commander.

"This is almost impossible to believe. Forte managed to stay alive for three hundred years, but now he's just gone. This feels too strange." X sits beside Zero and then thinks. "You know, back when I was a part of Rockman, Forte used to say this: "As long as you're still alive, I refuse to die!" Up until now, I honestly believed he could make it possible… but now…"

"X… I want you to answer a question for me honestly."

"What is it?"

"Did I do this before?" X gets caught off guard by Zero's question and he pauses for a second. _What's he getting at?_

"What do you mean?"

"When Forte died in my hands, I saw an image. There was a girl… her appearances were a bit fuzzy in my memory, but I was holding her in my hands as she died. I can remember a few things from my past, like Sigma, but the details are a bit hazy."

"Oh…" X realizes exactly what Zero's talking about. "Do you remember the incident with Repliforce?"

"Only that Sigma tried to use Repliforce to destroy earth and we stopped him. I don't know how we did it or any other details." Zero sighs. "Some details of my past are so clear to me while others I just can't seem to place…"

"Well, if you really want to know, I'll tell you the whole story." X sighs as he tries to think of where to start. "You better be prepared, it's going to take a while." Zero nods and X begins recalling everything he could remember. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Hallway**

"…so he's really gone?" Aile and Vent look at their commander as she nods slowly. _Poor Praire, she must be really shaken up. She was probably the closest to Forte out of all of us._

Prairie looks down to the ground and Aile puts her hands on her commander's shoulders. "If there's anything that we can do to help you, just tell us. We owe you for everything we have right now."

Prairie pushes Aile's hands away and looks at the brown haired Guardian. Aile looks into Prairie's eyes and backs away as she sees anger aimed towards her. "You helped enough already by bringing Model O to Ragnarok!"

Both Vent and Aile freeze at their commander's sudden accusation, but realization starts dawning on them as they conceive that what Prairie said is partly true. _If I hadn't brought dropped Model O back then Forte wouldn't have been taken over. It's all my fault…_

Vent tries to diffuse the tension in the air as he begins to talk. "We're really sorry about what happened… it should've been us that Omega controlled instead of Forte… you have every right to blame us…" 

Prairie's eyes soften for a moment as she pulls a tissue from her pocket to wipe a drop of tear. "No, I'm sorry for snapping at the two of you just now. All of us could've done something to have stopped this, but we didn't. I shouldn't blame you, with all the stress around lately, I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright. Vent and I almost lashed out at every Guardian when they tried to make conversation with us after the death of boss." 

"Well, I'll just go back to my room now…" Prairie begins to walk past Vent and Aile heading toward the room that she and Ciel share.

"Is there anything you need us to do for you?" Vent looks worriedly at the person who managed to help them get over the death of their boss. _She supported us during tough times, the least we can do is support her right now in return._

"No, I just need some time alone." Vent and Aile watch the Guardian Commander slowly move away. When she disappears from their line of sight, they still listen until her footsteps are gone too.

"The sudden display of emotions around here is sickening." Vent and Aile quickly whip around to find Pandora and Prometheus standing in the hallway. Vent's hands tighten into fists as he looks at Prometheus. 

"Don't you care at all if anyone dies? Oh wait, of course you don't. In fact, I bet you're the cause of things like these all the time!" Vent shouts at Prometheus and prepares to lunge at him.

"You sound surprised that this happened. Do you think this is some kind of story or game where everyone gets to live happily ever after? I thought that kind of idiotic way of thinking disappeared when your boss died, but I guess I was wrong."

"You're the reason our boss died!" Vent almost jumps at the skull helmeted reploid, but he feels Aile's hand on his shoulders.

"This isn't the time and place for this." Her words are strained, and Vent can tell how much Prometheus's words affect her by her grip on his shoulder.

"That's enough, let's go." Prometheus nods and the two of them begin to turn away. Blood begins to come out of Vent's fist as his fingernails dig into his flesh.

"I don't like the two of them one bit." Aile taps Vent's fist and he slowly unclenches his fist, watching three spots that his nails punctured and the blood drips down to the floor.

"You shouldn't let Prometheus get to you like that." Aile bites the edge of her sleeve and tears out a large piece of fabric. She holds onto Vent's hand and wraps the blue cloth around Vent's hand to stop the blood from pouring out. "That should do for now, I'll just get changed later."

"I really think we should do something about those two." Vent sighs. "They're up to no good. I say that we keep an eye on them in case they do anything suspicious."

"I'll agree to that on one condition." Aile watches as Vent prepares to follow the two reploids.

"What?" 

"You'll let me handle Prometheus. I don't want the two of you to make a scene." Vent nods in agreement and he takes out Model P and X. 

"Rock-on!" The two of them transform and then they dash across the hallway to catch up to Prometheus and Pandora. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Harpuia's Room**

"Come in." The door opens and the two other former Guardians of X walk inside. "Did Ciel tell you two the news as well?"

"Not in person, but yeah." Fefnir and Leviathan plop themselves onto Harpuia's bed to make themselves comfortable while Harpuia sits in his chair. "Well, Harpy, what do you think of all of this?" 

"This just seems like one huge mess. They just send one attack after the other and all we can do is hold them off. Each time, we lose more and more people."

"Well, it seems that whenever Weil's around, there's going to be a lot of death." Fefnir thinks for a second. "Reploids and humans almost went instinct during the Elf Wars and he'll probably try to pull something similar this time."

"Extinct." 

"What?" Fefnir looks at Harpuia as if he's crazy.

"The right word to say is extinct, not instinct." Harpuia points out Fefnir's mistake as he tries to think of what he just said earlier. 

"Oh… well, whatever."

"Shademan and the others are a problem as well." Leviathan starts to stand up and stretch for a bit. "It's a good thing we left Neo Arcadia when we did, I don't want to even begin imagining what would have happened otherwise."

"Well, I'm going outside to do a bit of exercise. I hate being cooped up in one place too long." Fefnir leaves Harpuia and Leviathan alone in the room.

"What are your thoughts on the death of Forte, Harpy?" Leviathan lies down comfortably on Harpuia's bed as she stares at the emerald reploid.

"Well, we didn't really talk much one hundred years ago, and the same went for after he became a kid. Despite all of that, he was brave and a great asset to our cause. I'm sure we'll all miss him." 

"Prairie must be taking it quite hard. She was practically a mother to him when we first brought him to Guardian HQ." Leviathan tosses her hair back a bit as it flows into her line of vision.

"There's nothing that we can do for her." Leviathan nods in agreement as she turns a bit on Harpuia's bed.

"Well, what now?"

"All we can do right now is to wait. We have no means to bring Forte back to life and Shademan and Model W are still on the loose." Harpuia yawns, closing his eyes.

"You can't be too comfortable in that chair of yours. You can just sleep in your own bed, you know?" Leviathan waits for a reply, but starts hearing the soft snores of Harpuia. _Well, he has been working hard, I better make sure he's comfortable._

Leviathan goes up and slowly pushes Harpuia's chair close to the bed. _Alright, now how do I get him on it without waking him up?_ Leviathan gently removes Harpuia's helmet and presses a few buttons on the back his chair so that it slants towards the bed.

Leviathan gently grabs Harpuia's shoulders and tosses him to his bed. She pulls Harpuia so that his head is on the pillow and grabs the blanket from the closet, putting it over the green reploid and tucking him in.

_Hmm… should I get on the bed with him and surprise him when he wakes up?_ Leviathan watches Harpuia sleeping peacefully and decides against it, not wanting to shock the emerald reploid when he wakes up, ruining the serene scene.

Leviathan presses a few buttons on the back of Harpuia's chair and it returns to its normal state. Leviathan gets on it and faces Harpuia as she watches the sleeping reploid, hypnotized by the scene.

Leviathan notices an unusually long strand of hair that's above Harpuia's mouth and watches it rise and lower as the sleeping reploid breathes. Pretty soon, Leviathan falls asleep as well watching the scene. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Hallway**

"The two chosen ones are following us, what should we do now?" Prometheus speaks in a low voice and continues walking.

"You know that plan I was telling you about?"

"What about it?"

"We can just skip straight to phase two if they keep on tailing us." The two of them continue walking.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing? Besides, even if this does work, I'm not sure how it would help us in any way whatsoever." 

"It'll help us, trust me. Are you ready? Come back in about twenty minutes, or I can give you a signal." Prometheus nods and the two of them split paths. Aile follows Prometheus while Vent follows Pandora. 

Pandora smiles as everything begins to fall into place. _Perfect, he's the one following me just as predicted. This will be easier than I thought._

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Pandora and Prometheus's Room**

Pandora opens the door and goes in while Vent hides for a moment, thinking about his options. _If I go in she might notice me, but if she's doing anything suspicious, she's bound to be doing it in her room._

Vent notices that the door's still open and quickly comes to a decision. _If she closes the door, I'll have more trouble getting in._ Vent begins to blend in with the background as he activates his stealth mode.

He enters the door and hides next to the wall to observe Pandora as she sits on her bed. She puts her hands behind her wide white helmet and slowly lifts it off, revealing her jade hair.

Her jade hair reaches just below her shoulders and she flings it back as strands of hair fall downward after lifting her helmet, covering her amber eyes. Vent watches her carefully, trying to check for any hidden devices but finds none.

_This is the first time I've seen Pandora with her helmet off. Actually, come to think of it, she has a pretty nice fig…_ Vent refuses to finish the thought as he shakes his head. _What the heck am I thinking? I can't betray Aile like that, still it's just a thought…_

Pandora takes off the white armor covering her back, revealing her black jumpsuit and Vent moves back in surprise, bumping the wall. He sees rips in the jumpsuit, revealing scars. The scars all run deep and have dried blood.

Pandora immediately puts her armor back on and turns toward Vent's direction and calling out. "I know you're there, chosen one, stop hiding." Vent gulps and turns off his cloaking system, revealing himself to the white armored reploid.

"Uhh… I was just here to…"

"You don't need to say anything. I know that you and your friend don't trust us, and I can't blame you." Pandora's voice is soft as she speaks. Vent puts his pinky in his ears to clean it to make sure his hearing is right. _Is this the same cold Pandora that we ran into in the hallway just a few minutes ago?_

"You don't blame us?" Vent tries to make sense of this new information that Pandora's telling him. _What does she mean by that? I mean it's pretty obvious me and Prometheus don't get along, but she seems so open and honest right now._

Pandora pats the spot next to her on the bed, inviting Vent. "You know, I never told anyone else about this, but since you saw the scars, you might as well know."

"Know what?"

"My…" Pandora pauses for a moment, as though going through a painful memory. "…family was captured by some Irregulars a long time ago. Although I'm a reploid, there were plenty of others I consider just that."

"I know what that feels like…" Vent looks down at his feet, remembering how he and Aile were separated from their parents.

"The Irregulars turned out to be all under Model W's control. He tortured my family and another family in order to find someone with power. Everyone died except for me and Prometheus…" Pandora's voice drops and Vent waits patiently for her to continue.

"Model W's Irregulars started to "test" us, as he put it. This included electrocution, enduring bullets and slashes and many other painful experiences that made my pain sensors reach limits that I never thought were possible…"

"After a while, Model W seemed to be satisfied with us and he granted us powers, the ones we have today. Prometheus and I got to know each other, and we tried to escape from Model W before, but it turned out we're too closely connected to him and he could just take away our abilities at will…"

"That must have been painful…" Vent realizes there's much more to Pandora and Prometheus than he first thought. _They've been doing all of this against their will the whole time?_

"Every time we were caught escaping, he punished us. That's how I got all those scars. One time, we almost managed to escape, we headed to a city, but they rejected us because they were afraid of our power. Model W found us again and punished us with methods more painful than ever. In the end, Prometheus and I decided it just wasn't worth it anymore…"

_She and Prometheus completely lost their freedom because of Model W. Maybe the two of them aren't so bad after all._

"We started to serve Model W and the punishments became less and less frequent. Everything seemed to work out until Phantom showed up. Model W didn't need us anymore, so he got Phantom to dispose of us."

"Wait, why didn't he just take away your powers like you mentioned earlier?" Vent tries to think of an answer, but finds no logical explanation.

"After you and Aile defeated Serpent, that took away a large chunk of his power, mainly his power over me and Prometheus. That's why we became a threat and he decided to get rid of us." Vent looks on the bed sheets and notices moisture, he looks up at Pandora to see tears falling out of her eyes.

"That's why it's hard for us to trust people, but we're trying to make an effort. We've experienced things that you can only begin to imagine, so please forgive us for causing any trouble." Pandora speaks between sobs and then Vent feels an arm around his neck and sees Pandora's pulled him into an embrace.

_She's suffered so much and had no way to let all her emotions out._ Vent returns the hug by putting his arms around her waist. "It's alright. I never realized things were so hard for you… I should've made an effort to get to know you and Prometheus better."

Vent notices a green cape in the edge of his vision, but quickly dismisses the thought. He hears a feminine gasp and wonders if he's being too forward wrapping his arms around Pandora's waist.

Pandora breaks the embrace after a few moments, wiping her eyes dry. "Well, you better go back now." Vent nods as he leaves the room.

After a few minutes, Prometheus enters. Pandora looks up, "Did you lead the girl here just in time to see the crucial moment?"

"I have to say, I've never seen someone look so hurt. I guess it's worth it after all, although you didn't have to exaggerate the story that much." 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Pandora's so evil, isn't she? Trying to put doubt into Vent's head while slowly pulling the couple apart. Anyways, a new obstacle is going to arise in Zero's lovelife soon thanks to the suggestion by omni.

Pandora exaggerated her story a whole lot to get Vent to feel sorry for her, and if you guys want the real version, I can put in a little part where Pandora and Prometheus talk about if you want. All of this was made up by me, so don't expect to see any of this in official Capcom books.

Remember to Read and Review :).


	29. Chapter 28: Losing Control

Well, the real problem with writing lemon scenes for me is because I posted this fic on another site, and I need approval from an admin to write a NC-17 fic. I want this story to have the same chapters for both sites, but I'll ask some other people reading my fic about it.

Another problem is if I change the rating of this fic to M, then not as many people will read it. It took me two months when I first found this site to even notice the rating feature. Anyways, tell me what you guys think about the issue, here's an update:

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**Vent and Aile's Room**

"Vent and Aile, are the two of you in there?" Prairie knocks on the door and slowly steps in. She looks around for the two chosen ones but only manages to find the female brown haired ex-transporter. "Where's Vent?"

"He's… busy right now…" Aile pauses, as if wanting to say more, but doesn't. Prairie moves closer and sits on the bed next to Aile and gets a closer look at her. _She seems tired and depressed, something must've happened between the two of them._

"Is anything wrong? You look tired."

"No, I just can't sleep right now. I'm waiting for Vent." Aile rubs her eyes to try and stay awake. "Anyways, what brings you here?" 

"Oh, Sis wanted me to give these to you two." Prairie reaches into her pockets and pulls out two red biometals. "Sis examined and copied Model O so both of you will be able to use it."

"Is it safe to use that?" Aile edges a bit closer to get a better view of the red biometal. _There seems to be something very different about it, but in a good way._

"Sis scanned it and all traces of Omega have disappeared. It's just an empty shell now, like the other biometals when they reawakened. It should be safe, but you should tell me or Sis if there's anything wrong." Aile nods as she takes one Model O in her hands and puts the other one on the bed.

"Aile…" Prairie puts her fingers on the brown haired girl's chin and lifts it up so that the girl is looking at her eye to eye. "I can tell there's something wrong right now, and I just want you to know that you don't have to deal with it alone."

"It's nothing, really." Aile gets off the bed and climbs onto the top bunk. Aile turns so that she's facing the wall. "I better go and get some sleep now. Vent's probably not coming back for a while." 

_She doesn't want to talk about it. I better not try and push the subject._ Prairie nods as she prepares to open the door, but Aile speaks up. "Prairie?"

"Yeah?" 

"Is it a part of a normal relationship for the guy to start hanging out with other girls?" Aile spills out and lets Prairie fill in the blanks by herself.

_So that's what's bothering her. I wonder who the girl could be though, Rose? No, that can't be it. I better figure out by myself later, I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to talk anymore about it._ Prairie thinks for a moment about Aile's question. "I haven't been in a relationship myself, but I can tell you this much. Over the one hundred years I've been alive, I've never once seen a "normal relationship" as you put it."

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better." Aile smiles and then she turns to face Prairie. "Still, I'm beginning to wonder if all of this trouble is really worth it."

"I'm sure that Vent will come around soon enough. You're smart, beautiful, and you've known him for years. If he still can't see how much you two care about each other, then you shouldn't bother with him."

"Wait, what did you say in your second sentence?" Aile sits back up at hearing the compliment.

"You're smart, beautiful, and you've known him for years?" Prairie repeats the sentence, wondering what Aile finds weird about it. _Does she think I'm coming on to her or something?_

"I've never heard anyone tell me that before, not even Vent or Girouette. It feels… nice." Aile looks at Prairie and finds that the commander seems to be surprised by her statement. _If only I could hear that from Vent…_

"No one's ever told you that before? Well, Girouette and Vent must have been blind to have missed it, or you've changed when you became a Guardian." Prairie prepares to leave. "By the way, Aile, if you really believe that you want to be with Vent, tell him while you still can. There are more things that can get in the way than just death."

"Thanks, I really appreciate that. Maybe we should have these chats more often." Prairie nods as she prepares to leave. Aile watches as the door closes. _I have a feeling that Prairie's speaking from experience. Maybe I do need to speak with Vent about this._

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Medic Wing**

"Vent, don't tell me you got injured again! There hasn't even been a mission since you last left here." Rose quickly goes over to Vent to check for any injuries.

"You know, I've had to be attended to a lot of injuries when I fought, but there were actually enemies involved for me to get hurt." Zero wakes up after hearing Rose's voice.

"Actually… I didn't come here because I'm injured." Vent's answer surprises Rose for a second as he continues. "I was just wondering if there is anything that could help ease the pain on deep scars that have dried blood in them."

"Did Aile get hurt somehow?" Rose tries to recall the last time that she inspected Aile. "I don't recall seeing any scars while treating her, where are they?"

"No, it isn't Aile." Vent looks around nervously, wondering if this was a good idea. _Pandora didn't complain, but those scars were definitely painful. Rose would be the only one who knows anything about it._

"It depends, how deep and old are the scars?" Rose opens up a cabinet to reveal a bunch of jars, boxes, and medical tools that Vent couldn't identify.

_Let's see, what exactly did Pandora say?_ "About a few years, some more recent than others. I don't really need anything to get rid of the scars, just to make it a bit better."

Zero watches the scene silently as he watches Rose's face. Her expression is almost identical to the ones the other gave him before they started bombarding him with questions. Rose's facial expression changes, probably because she decided not to pry for information.

"It's not healthy if you leave a wound unattended for too long, and that seems to be exactly the case from your description. Here's what you have to do…" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Prometheus and Pandora's Room**

"I see that your plan to captivate Vent went pretty well. If it wasn't for the fact you told me about your plan, I'd have to say you really liked him." Prometheus takes off his cape and inspects it while speaking to Pandora without making eye contact with her. 

"What's your point?" Pandora winces a bit and rubs her back as the scars begin to sting. _I can still feel it even after all these years._

"That you're a really good actor to have convinced him." Prometheus puts on his cape and prepares to leave, but turns to look Pandora in the eyes. "Be careful, the best actors sometimes can't tell the difference between their role and who they really are. Well, I'll be going outside now to train."

Prometheus presses a few buttons as the door opens. The door closes and he looks around to make sure nobody's around. He takes out his communicator and presses a few buttons. "Lord W, Phantom, are either of you there?"

"What is it? I'm very busy right now." Prometheus expects to see the image of the floating metal as usual, but is surprised to see the face of an old man instead.

"Model W, is that you?"

"I thought that it would be difficult for me to talk with people unless we're seeing face to face, so I got Phantom to project a hologram that I can control. Now why did you contact me?"

Prometheus starts thinking of where to begin. "Do you remember how Pandora planned to tear Vent and Aile's relationship apart by getting in the way?"

"Did she succeed?"

"Well, not yet, but I'm beginning to worry about her. When she hugged Vent, she definitely wasn't acting that she enjoyed it. If this keeps on, then she might decide to stick with them instead." Prometheus tells Model W his doubts and waits for a reply.

"Let me tell you something, Prometheus. Making a relationship work is like fighting an opponent that's better than you in every way. I've gotten in the way of Zero's enough times to know how fragile it is. There's nothing to worry about." The image of Model W starts to disorient a bit. "Phantom! Your projector needs to be fixed again." 

"Someone's close, I'll tell you if anything else comes up." Prometheus quickly puts away the communicator as Vent turns and sees Prometheus. "What are you doing here, brat?"

"Is Pandora here?" Vent tries not to make contact with Prometheus as he asks the question. _I hate moments like these. There's just something about him that makes me uneasy, even after hearing Pandora's story._

"She's inside, so you can go ahead and head in. I was just leaving anyways." Prometheus walks past Vent as his green cape billows behind him, making contact with Vent's shoulder. The skull helmeted reploid makes a right turn and Vent watches as the wall blocks him from view. 

_Well, it's now or never._ Vent takes a deep breath as he curls his fingers into a fist and knocks on the door. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Pandora looks in the mirror in the bathroom as the hair brush straightens her green hair. She hears a knock and quickly drops the hairbrush and dashes out of the bathroom.

"Did you forget anything, Prometheus?"

"It's me, Vent." Pandora pauses for a moment. _What's he doing here?_ She goes beside the door and punches in a few buttons. The door slides open and Vent steps in.

"What do you want?" Pandora eyes the blue boy and notices that he's carrying a plastic bag in his left hand.

"Umm… I asked Rose about how to treat injuries like yours, and she told me that…" Vent starts to stammer and can't continue speaking. _Why are things like these always so hard?_

"I don't need your help. Do you think I'm weak just because of what I told you?" Pandora turns and waves her hands to dismiss Vent, but cringes over in pain from her sudden movement.

"Are you alright!?" Vent rushes up to the white armored reploid, grabbing Pandora's hand and putting it on his shoulder to support her, then putting his own hand on her other shoulder. "Your injuries haven't been treated properly and you're still feeling pain after all these years."

"I told you I didn't need any help." Pandora repeats it again, but her voice is a lot weaker and she lies on her bed. Vent opens the plastic bag and pulls out a plastic container, two really thin, long pieces of metal almost like chopsticks and a long thin white piece of cloth.

"I can tell that your scars are really painful. Just please give me a chance to try and help you." Vent opens the plastic container to reveal some kind of clear liquid and he reaches into the plastic bag again and gets out a piece of white cotton.

"Why do you even care?" Pandora yells the question at Vent and there's a tense silence between the two. Pandora looks at Vent's eyes and sees his answer: "Isn't it obvious?" Pandora sighs in defeat. "I give up, what do I need to do?"

"Just lie down on the bed with your back towards the ceiling." Pandora takes off her armor revealing her black jumpsuit and lies down on the bed face first. "Just give me a moment to get everything set up…" 

Vent grabs the two pieces of metal with his right hand and picks up the white piece of cotton. He dips it into the container, soaking up the cotton, and then sits beside Pandora on the edge of the bed.

"Uhh… You're going to have to take off… the jumpsuit." Vent's face turns red as he quietly speaks and he immediately looks away as Pandora lifts up her head and gazes in his direction.

"Are you sure that you know what you're doing?" Pandora doesn't get up from the bed as she faces the pillow again.

"Rose explained everything step by step for me and told me this method is the best that we have for both reploids and humans. There shouldn't be any problems." Vent looks at Pandora again as he tries to will his blush away. His face is still slightly pink, but Pandora isn't looking in his direction.

Vent's face turns even redder when the flesh on Pandora's back becomes visible after Pandora's jumpsuit disappears. He gulps, trying to slow down his pulse, and then stares at Pandora for a moment. Her skin's pale, almost completely white and Vent is able to see the white strap of her bra. He then moves closer to begin.

He inspects the scars and finds six in total. Vent's curiosity gets the better of him as he puts his left hand right next to one of the scars on her creamy white skin. Pandora shivers and Vent's hand immediately retreats. _That was so stupid. What the heck was I thinking?_

"Hurry up, it's getting cold. I'm not used to not having my armor on. I don't even remember the last time I've been exposed like this." Pandora's voice is a bit weaker than usual. Vent brings the plastic container over to the bed and dips the cotton in it again.

"This is going to sting a whole lot, so you better hold on to something." Pandora doesn't answer, but she clutches onto one of the bed posts with one hand and the bed sheet with the other. _I better start off with the smallest one…_

Vent leans down a bit and puts his hand on Pandora's back to steady himself. Pandora shivers at the action, so he quickly withdraws it. _It must be really cold for her. I'll just take off my gloves._

Vent's hand makes contact with Pandora's skin again, resulting in Pandora tensing a bit, but then she relaxes. "Are you ready?" Pandora nods and Vent carefully positions the cotton over the smallest and shallowest scar.

Vent carefully lowers the cotton and Pandora's muscles begin to tense up. Her nails tighten on the bed sheet and her other hand almost tightens on the bed post. Vent continues to move the cotton around, making sure to clean out any dried blood. Fresh blood begins to ooze out of the scar and Vent lifts up the cotton and wipes the blood away with a nearby towel.

_That was hard, I can't believe Rose does this everyday._ Vent wipes the sweat from his eyebrow and sits back up. Pandora's muscles relax a bit and her grip on the bed post and bed sheet loosens. "Do you want to wait a while before I go on to the next scar?"

"No, just continue, I've experienced worse things." Vent nods as he moves on to the next scars. The next four are basically the same as the first one, only a bit bigger and deeper. Vent pauses a bit as he looks at the last scar. It runs the deepest and is the biggest, about twice as bad as any of the other ones.

_I'll have to be really careful for this one._ Vent dips the cotton into the liquid and then carefully lifts it over the scar. Vent feels beads of sweat trickling down his cheeks as he leans forward towards Pandora again.

Vent lowers the cotton until it makes contact with Pandora's scar. Pandora whimpers for a slight second and her skin twitches. Vent takes a deep breath and brings the cotton deeper to disinfect the scars.

Pandora's hand claws at the bed sheet, causing it to wrinkle and splinters begin to fall off the bed post. Vent brings the cotton deeper in and Pandora brings her mouth to the pillow, suppressing screams of pain. 

Sweat starts to pour all over Vent's face as he forces himself to concentrate. After what seems to be an eternity for both of them, Vent raises the cotton and wipes away the blood with a towel. He sighs in relief and Pandora starts getting back up.

"Wait, we still need to bandage it." Pandora gets up on her knees on the bed as Vent gets the white piece of cloth. Vent kneels on the bed directly behind Pandora as he begins wrapping the cloth around Pandora, starting from bottom to top.

Vent uses the thin strip of cloth over the lower part of Pandora's back and holds it gently in place with his knee. Now, he has a slight problem. _How am I supposed to get it back here? If I go in front of Pandora, the cloth will just fall down…_

Vent decides to try and see just how far his arms could stretch. He wraps his right arm around Pandora's abdomen and tries to stretch his other arm to reach the cloth. He manages to just make it, but both his arms have to squeeze Pandora's belly to do that.

Vent repeats the action again, this time without needing to use his knee to support the cloth, until all of Pandora's scars are wrapped. _Well, I guess that's it, I should just go back now._

Vent looks at where his arms are to find that they are still wrapped around Pandora's waist, even after finishing wrapping the cloth around her. Vent also notes how their bodies are pressing against each other and he blushes. _I've been doing a lot of that lately. I wonder what Pandora's thinking._

From his angle, Vent can only see Pandora's green hair, so he has no idea what she's thinking. Pandora sneezes, causing Vent to quickly move away. "It's really cold in here, I should go get changed." 

In a flash, Pandora's fully armored except for the helmet and she looks at Vent. "I guess I owe you a thank you even if that did hurt so much. The scars aren't nearly as painful as they used to be." 

"No problem…" Vent tries to think of something to say to continue the conversation. "You were really brave."

"Brave?" Pandora starts to get off the bed and so does Vent. Vent cleans up everything and puts it back into the plastic bag.

"Yeah, when Rose first did that to me, three Guardians had to hold me down and my screams were so loud they said that people on the other side of the base could hear me. My wounds back then weren't nearly as painful as yours, so I can only imagine what you had to endure, and yet you didn't even scream!"

"Screaming in pain is a sign of weakness and the world is not a place for the weak." Pandora looks at the clock on the wall. "Prometheus is coming back soon. You should probably go back to your room unless you want to meet him."

"Alright…" Vent pauses for a moment as he heads for the door. "Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Why?" 

"Well, if you aren't busy, I thought that the two of us could go to Innerpeace and hang out." Pandora gives Vent a blank stare, causing him to twiddle his thumbs awkwardly. "You know, wander around, meet new people, grab a bite to eat, and play games…"

"What's the point of those things?" Pandora's question gets a confused look from Vent. _Has she really never done those things in her life? I thought that they probably don't do those things a lot, but everyone should be able to have some fun once in a while…_

"You know, just to have fun and enjoy life. Live a little." Pandora considers Vent's offer for a while.

"Well, I've never done that before. Meet me at the main hallway tomorrow at noon and then I'll have my answer."

"Great, I better go back now." Pandora goes next to the door and presses a few buttons making the door open. Vent walks out and Pandora waits for about ten minutes. After that time, Prometheus walks in.

"What did the kid want?" Prometheus wipes off some dirt from his armor and it falls onto the ground.

"Nothing much… he just wanted to talk." Prometheus raises his eyebrow as though that's was something unusual.

"No one has ever "wanted to just talk" with either of us before." Prometheus takes off his cape and hangs it in the closet. "I don't like him coming here too often. It could get in the way of our plans."

"You don't need to worry about that. I'm planning to go with him to Innerpeace tomorrow." Prometheus stops what he's doing and turns to Pandora.

"That's not going to benefit Lord W's plans in any way whatsoever. You're taking too many unnecessary risks around Vent. Maybe you should just forget your plan."

"Why does everything we do have to benefit Lord W? Don't we have a right to live as well?" Pandora's voice doesn't rise and she asks the question as if she's considering it for the first time herself. 

"In the end we're just tools, pieces in a chess game. Our only purpose is to help our king take down the other teams, and our king is Lord W." Prometheus voice rises and he moves a bit closer to Pandora so that they're about one meter away. "I accepted that and you used to accept that as well. Why is some brat changing that?"

"Maybe I want to play a different game for once." Pandora turns her back on Prometheus and walks to the bathroom, slamming the door, and leaving Prometheus alone.

"Looks like the role she's playing has become a part of who she really is. I just hope Model W's right about relationships being fragile. She better not give anything away to the Guardians." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Vent and Aile's Room**

The door opens and Vent quietly steps in the room. "It's getting pretty late, Vent." Vent's eyes look upwards and he sees Aile. "I've been waiting for you."

"I'm sorry that I kept you waiting, I was…"

"…with Pandora?" Vent pauses for a moment and Aile stares straight at him with her green eyes. "I saw the two of you while following Prometheus so there's no point in trying to lie. I'm just going to get straight to the point, which one of us are you going to choose?"

There's silence for a few moments as Vent tries to think. _I want to be with Aile, but Pandora…_ "It's not like that, Aile. Pandora's lonely and never had what we have. I got to know her a bit better and I learned just how hard she's had it. I'm sure that you'd be able to see that as well if you got to know her." 

"Are you attracted to her?" Aile turns away from Vent again as she asks the question. She hears a gulp sound coming from Vent's direction. _He's hesitating. The answer's pretty obvious after what I've already seen._

"Yes…" Vent looks at Aile but she doesn't turn. _I'd do almost anything to see what her facial expression is right now. These questions are killing me._ "…I find her attractive, but not in the same way as how I view you."

"If you had to choose between one of us, which one would you choose?" Aile doesn't turn as she asks the question. "Answer me honestly, Vent."

"I already told you. I don't view her the same way as you. I can't answer that question."

"However you view her, it's still going to cause problems for us. Just tell me your opinion, Vent. I'd rather not be in your love life at all than being a third wheel." Aile turns to face Vent, and he gets a closer look at her.

Her eyes are droopy and tired, as if she hadn't slept for many days. _She's in a really bad shape right now, what am I supposed to tell her? I've known her for years and don't want to leave her, but I can't just ignore Pandora…_ Vent clutches his hair in frustration as he tries to answer the question himself.

"I don't know right now! I'm just… too confused about… everything." Vent looks at Aile, trying to see if he can get any idea of what she's thinking, but she still has the same tired look. 

"Well, talk to me again when you're not confused." Aile turns and Vent tries to think of something…anything…that would make the situation better.

"I'm going to show Pandora around Innerpeace tomorrow. Maybe you could come and get to know her a bit better." Vent waits for Aile's reply for about a minute, wondering if she's somehow managed to fall asleep.

"I don't want to face her right now… just go ahead and have fun on your date." Aile sighs and tucks herself deeper into her blanket without facing Vent. Vent gets on the lower bunk and prepares to go to sleep.

"I'm going to sleep now. Night, Aile." Vent waits for the usual reply, but it doesn't come. He hears the sound of shuffling and knows that Aile's having trouble going to sleep from experience. _Why do these things always have to be so difficult? I really don't want to damage the relationship between me and Aile. Maybe things will look a bit better tomorrow._

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**Commander's Room**

"Hey, Aile, what are you doing here?" Ciel turns as Aile enters the room. Ciel takes a closer look and notices her sagging eyes. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Not really, I was just… thinking about some things." Aile yawns and sees Prairie typing something on the computer. "What are you doing?"

"I just finished filling out some paperwork and I'm finishing off some things that need to be done. After that, I'll have some free time. How did things go last night, Aile?" Aile quickly looks at Ciel, who isn't really paying attention to their conversation.

"Take a wild guess."

"Seeing as Vent isn't here with you, I'd say not very well. What exactly did he say or do to make you lose sleep like this?"

"He was very indecisive and didn't really answer my question one way or the other." Aile sits down on an unoccupied chair. "Vent has a date with Pandora right now, so I've been avoiding them." Aile quickly covers her mouth as she realized that she let Pandora's name slip.

Surprisingly, Prairie doesn't look the least bit shocked. "I've been talking to Zero and Rose yesterday and there weren't many other options left." Prairie finishes typing and stands up. "I know what'll make you feel better. Ciel, are you busy?" Prairie shouts across the room to the blond scientist.

"Let me check." Ciel looks in the direction of Prairie and Aile and takes out an electronic schedule for the day. "I don't have anything planned, why?"

"Maybe we can go to Innerpeace together, just us girls." Ciel nods her approval at Prairie's suggestion but Aile looks doubtful. 

"Innerpeace? What if I run into…" Aile pauses as she realizes that Ciel's paying attention to the conversation as well. _The last thing I need is the whole base knowing about my love problems._

"That's not going to happen. Innerpeace is huge. Besides, you can't just avoid them forever."

"I guess so…" The door opens and they all turn to find Leviathan walking into the room.

"I hope none of you mind if I tag along. Harpy's busy right now with paperwork and I need a bit of fresh air."

"Sure, just let me go grab some zennies and then we can all head out. Just wait here." Prairie runs out of the Commander's Room to get her wallet as the others wait. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Main Hallway**

Vent stands in the main hallway and looks at his watch. _It's already 12:10 p.m. Maybe Pandora decided to change her mind about this._ Vent looks up to see Pandora beside him, causing him to jump up in surprise.

"How did you do that?" He looks at Pandora carefully, noting her appearance. She's wearing no helmet or armor, but she's still wearing her white gloves, the gold rings around her wrist, the black jumpsuit covering her entire body and her white footwear. Other than that, the rest of her attire is unfamiliar to Vent.

She's wearing a green vest with a white blouse on top of that and a light blue skirt reaching up to her knees. "I teleported next to you, sorry I'm late. I had to search in the closet for something suitable to wear."

"Uhh… You look great…" Vent looks her up and down, still barely being able to believe that this is the same Pandora. "Those clothes make you look very… different…"

"I don't own these anyways the closet's full of clothing, that's why it took me so long to find something that I liked."

"Well, it really suits you." Vent opens the door and looks down. "We're pretty far from the ground. Want me to tell Prairie to lower the airship?"

"That's okay, we can just jump it." Pandora jumps down from the entrance and two green rings surround her feet, causing her to gently float downwards.

"Rock-on!" Vent gets Model H and X and slowly descends downwards while watching Pandora floating in the air. _The way her hair's blowing in the wind and how she's floating makes her look so… angelic…_ The two of them land and Vent deactivates his biometals and the green rings disappear.

"Come on, let's hurry!" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace**

Vent and Pandora wander the busy streets of Innerpeace as Vent begins contemplating where the two of them should go first when his stomach growls. "Uhh… let's go grab a bite first, I haven't eaten lunch yet."

"Alright," Vent looks around and finds a café.

"Do you want to eat there?"

"It doesn't really matter." Vent nods and the two of them head toward the café. The two of them enter the door as bells chime and Vent looks around, trying to find an empty table.

_This place is pretty full… Oh, there's a spot!_ Vent heads next to the window and sits down at a table for two. Vent looks at the end of the table to find two flat monitors attached to the table behind the napkins. He goes to the one closer to him and it immediately opens up.

_Let's see, how did Boss do this that time?_ Vent puts his finger over the menu and a bunch of subsections came out on the monitor. He clicks on appetizers first to see what it has to offer.

After having decided what to order, Vent sees Pandora looking at the menu with a blank look on her face. "Did you choose anything yet?" 

"I don't know what any of these things are like."

"You mean you haven't eaten any of these before? What have you eaten?" Vent puts his elbow on the table and waits for Pandora's answer. 

"Prometheus and I only required E-Crystals to function properly and so that's the only thing we ever got. Unless you count using E-Crystals as eating, then I don't remember ever really eating anything."

"You mean you've never eaten anything else other than that? What were the E-Crystals like?"

"They were a bit bland, but you get used to it after a while." Pandora looks at the menu again. "I'll just have whatever you're having."

Vent nods and he puts his finger over the back button a few times. He clicks on order and orders two of everything that he's having. After looking at the total price and counting his zennies, he presses confirm as the two of them wait. Vent uses his hand to prop his head up by his cheeks as he looks around.

"Is anything wrong?" Pandora looks at Vent. "You don't seem as energetic as usual."

"Huh?" It takes Vent's brain a moment to register what Pandora just said and to come up with a reply. "Oh, it's just Aile. She's been a little grim lately and I'm worried about her."

"Maybe you should try talking to her and find out what's wrong." Vent pauses as he wonders if telling Pandora would be a good idea. _I suppose she's going to figure it out by herself sooner or later._

"Aile saw us together yesterday and now she's thinking that you'd get in the way of our relationship."

"Do you think I'll get in the way of your relationship?" Pandora asks the question without much of a hesitation, as if Vent's answer was no surprise. _I guess she figured it out sooner than I thought._

"I'll have to agree with her on that one." Vent speaks quietly, wondering what Pandora's reaction would be. "I'm not sure of what to think anymore."

"Why did you come here with me then?" Vent thinks of the answers he could give. _She seems like someone that I can talk with about anything._

"I didn't want to leave you alone. From what you told me, you already seemed so lonely, and I didn't want to see you like that." Pandora closes her eyes after listening to Vent's words, as if deep in thought.

Pandora opens her eyes again and speaks. "You're saying that the only reason you decided to come here was because you felt sorry for me?" Her tone is still the same as ever, but she somehow manages to add a dangerous edge to her voice.

Vent goes over his words again and realizes why Pandora's mad. _Alright, maybe I should've phrased that in a better way. I need to think of something else to say and quick._ "I also wanted to see you again. I like spending time with you."

Pandora speaks again, but this time the dangerous edge is gone and her voice has a softer tone. "I guess I'd have to say the same. It's been so long since I've had any real interaction with a person like this."

A small sphere-like mech with tiny arms goes up to their table and puts a tray on there. Vent reaches into his wallet and gives the machine a couple of coins. The machine leaves and Vent splits the food.

"You must be thirsty after all that talking." Vent gets out a cup filled with grape soda and a straw. "Here."

Pandora looks at the straw clueless for a moment and then looks around. She follows what the others are doing and puts the straw though the hole, having a sip. Vent watches her sip the drink slowly before taking a drink himself.

"How do you like it?"

"It tastes funny. It's so bubbly…" Vent removes the wrapping from the cheeseburger and bites into it. Pandora does the same, and Vent notices that she's only eating a bit at a time.

"What's wrong? Isn't the food good?"

"No, it just seems so strange. I've gotten used to eating small amounts from habit. It's hard to have to eat something so big after so many years." Pandora takes another bite, larger this time as some crumbs begin to fall to the ground. "So this is eating… I like it…" 

"You have a piece of bread next to your lips." Vent takes a napkin and stands up while leaning forward to wipe it away. Vent sits back in his seat and finishes his food and watches Pandora, who's only a quarter of the way through.

After that, the two of them leave and Vent looks around. "What do you want to do next?"

"It doesn't really matter since I don't have any opinions about any of this." Vent nods as his gaze shifts toward the arcade. He leads Pandora inside and exchanges some of his zennies for game tokens. 

"Oh! Let's play that game!" Vent points to two chairs with wheels, two helmets, and some other controls, a driving game. He gets on one chair and waits for Pandora to get on the other.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, you just have to get on one of them and put the helmet over your head. It will create a virtual image of you in a car and you just have to drive it and win. The other cars are the people sitting over there." Vent points to some other similar seats to theirs and waits for Pandora to sit down, but she looks doubtful.

"You go by yourself first. I'll just watch and observe." Vent shrugs and tosses in his coin, starting up the machine. He puts on the helmet, lowers the visor and he sees himself in a car. Pandora watches the screen and manages to locate Vent's car. She carefully watches all of Vent's action and how they affect the car.

Vent wins and then takes off the helmet. "Are you ready to give it a try?" Pandora nods as she gets on the chair and puts on the helmet. There are a total of eight different players and the game starts off with Vent speeding ahead and Pandora keeping up a steady pace. 

After a while, Pandora uses the turbo button that she saw Vent use once and she speeds right through Vent, flipping his car.

"Hey!" Pandora speeds off and Vent waits for his car to respawn as the image becomes blank. Vent respawns and several cars rush past him. Vent manages to get back to second place on the last lap, but Pandora's still ahead of him.

_This might be my only hope…_ Vent presses the turbo button and his car speeds ahead. Vent's boost in speed disappears as he goes next to Pandora, the two of them constantly switching between second place and first place.

As the finish line comes into view, Pandora gets about one car length away from Vent and cuts him off. Vent tries to move, but Pandora follows his movements and blocks his path.

_I'll have to try and ram it…_ Vent's foot presses on the power pedal and his front makes contact with the tail end of Pandora's car. _Alright, I'll just have to position myself…_

Before Vent could finish thinking up of a strategy, the car in third place rams Vent from behind, pushing Pandora past the finish line. Pandora takes off her helmet and soon, so does Vent.

"I guess that I won." Vent nods and then the two of them start to look at other games. _She's like one of those eager kids who have never been outside their home._

After using up all their tokens, Vent and Pandora begin to leave, but Vent notices one of those machines filled with stuff animals that you use a mechanic claw to grab. He quickly goes over to it and examines all of them.

"I bet the commander would love this one!" Vent points at one of them as Pandora watches. "Do you know how this machine works?" Pandora shakes her head and Vent explains everything to her.

"Come on, you should give it a try! I'll help you if you need anything." Vent takes out a small zenny from his wallet as Pandora approaches the machine. She puts one hand on the control stick and the other on the button.

Vent inserts the zenny and watches Pandora try to control it. She manages to grab a stuffed animal, but not the one that he was aiming for. "Want to try again?"

"Sure." Vent inserts another zenny in and immediately gets behind Pandora. Pandora seems to be having some trouble, so Vent puts his hands on top of hers to help her control it.

Vent blushes slightly as he feels their arms brushing against each other and their skin touching. Pandora and Vent press the button after positioning it properly and watch as the claw lowers.

It grabs onto the targeted stuffed animal and pulls it up. It drops down and then Vent picks it up. Pandora looks at the other stuffed animal. "What should we do with this one?"

"Let's just give it to someone…" Vent finds a kid walking by and after talking to the kid for a while, he hands him the stuffed animal. "Do you want to get one for yourself?"

"I don't really see the point in owning something like that." Vent holds onto the stuffed animal he's planning to give to Prairie as the two of them exit the arcade to explore more of Innerpeace. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace Rec Center**

Prairie, Ciel, Aile and Leviathan crash down on the couch exhausted as sweat pour down their head. Aile manages to speak in between panting. "I didn't know… that a game of… volleyball could get so… extreme."

"That happens when you… play with reploids." Leviathan, the least tired of the four of them, answers for Aile and they all take a moment to catch their breath. "Well, did that cheer you up a bit?"

"What makes you think that I was sad?" Aile manages to sit up on the coach as she leans backwards. _Well, I guess I do feel a bit better. If Vent has plans with other people, I can do the same._

"Well, from the way you looked, for one. I haven't seen anyone look that bad since I put caffeine into Harpuia's water bottle one hundred years ago." Leviathan sighs, as if recalling a fond memory.

"You put caffeine into Harpuia's water bottle? When did that happen and how come he didn't notice?" Prairie begins participating in the conversation as well and waits for Leviathan to recall the details. 

"Well, this happened way back in Neo Arcadia before Zero awakened. Harpuia seemed so calm that I wondered what would happen if he had some caffeine. He drinks from those water bottles that you can't see through unless you open the lid, and he never bothers doing that." 

"What exactly happened?" Ciel begins to take interest in the conversation as well, intrigued by Leviathan's tale.

"Harpuia started flying all around the base at first doing things. You can ask him for full details if he manages to remember. After a few days of no sleep, he became really tired and eventually collapsed during a meeting. That's why Copy X promoted Phantom to second-in-command. Harpuia refused to speak to me for about a month after that incident."

Leviathan clears her throat as she tries to remember where she's going with this. "Alright, back on track. Tell us what's wrong, Aile." 

"There's nothing wrong… really." Aile looks at Prairie and sends her a look, begging her not to tell the others. Prairie nods almost unnoticeably, an action that only Aile catches.

"I'm not that easy to fool, you know. Let me take a wild guess, does the problem start with a capitalized V and ends with t?" Aile nods at Leviathan's comment. _Is it really that obvious?_

"Yeah, I think he's developing an interest in other people. Have any of you ever experienced that." Aile looks at Leviathan and Ciel deep in thought.

"Well, there was this one time that I got Harpuia really drunk at a victory party, but I'm not sure if your innocent ears can handle the whole story. Other than that, I don't think I've had any problems like that."

"How about you, Ciel, have you ever had any problems like that?" Aile shifts her attention to Ciel.

"Well, sometimes when I look at Zero, it looks like he's thinking of someone else. Other times, it's like he's looking straight through me and I have to speak to get his attention." Ciel recalls a few problems with their relationship.

"Why's that?"

"I'm not really sure, and I don't think Zero knows much about it himself. I talked to X about it, and he told me that Zero was involved with a female reploid about two hundred years ago. Whenever Zero zones out like that, it's probably because some memories of her are resurfacing."

"That must be really hard for you, having to constantly compete with someone that you don't know." Leviathan and Prairie nod at Aile's comment. "Don't you ever get tired of that?"

"If you want to be with someone, then you're going to have to take the whole package. That's just one of the things wrong with Zero, but I wouldn't trade him for anyone else in the whole world." Ciel gets a faraway look in her eyes as she continues. "Knowing all of that just make those special moments seem all the more special."

"Hey, Leviathan, do you have any problems in your relationship with Harpuia?" Aile looks at the cerulean reploid. _I'm sure that her relationship can't be perfect, although I don't really see any real problems so far._

"There's no serious problems for us, although Harpuia barely does anything fun unless I practically force him." Leviathan goes to the vending machine to get a drink. She takes a sip before continuing. "It's worth it though. Special moments won't seem special if they aren't rare."

Prairie's communicator beeps and she presses a button on it. "This is Prairie." There are some inaudible mumbling sounds that the other three females can't quite make out before Prairie answers again. "They've returned? Alright, I'll get back to the base as soon as I can."

Prairie puts the communicator back in her pockets and looks at the others. "One of the squads patrolling around has just returned and I need to look over their report. Do any of you need anything before we go?" 

"That's alright. We might as well leave now." Ciel stands up first, Aile and Leviathan later mimic her action. The four of them head out to the busy streets of Innerpeace and head toward Guardian HQ.

While they're walking, Aile notices that Prairie stops moving, staring into a direction. Aile follows Prairie's gaze, but doesn't find anything out of place.

"Hey, Prairie, are you coming?" Prairie doesn't seem to hear her question, so Aile moves closer to her and taps her on the shoulder. The action startles Prairie as she almost jumps up in surprise. "What were you looking at that's so interesting?"

"It's nothing. I just thought I saw something for a second." The two of them continue walking as they catch up to Ciel and Leviathan. _Maybe my head's just playing tricks on me. Still, how many people in Innerpeace could have silver hair?_

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Lord W, are you there?" Static appears on the monitor as an unclear voice comes from the speakers. The hologram of Weil stares at Phantom as he presses a few buttons. The static clears to reveal Shadowman. 

"Shadowman, what's the special occasion? Is Shademan planning something big to risk you contacting us?" Model W looks at Shadowman as he shakes his head.

"I've made sure to disable all the security in this room before making contact." Shadowman looks around before continuing. "Geminiman, Magnetman and I have all been fully repaired. I think now's the best time to strike Shademan before we're discovered."

"Where are those two anyways?"

"They're standing outside keeping guard in case anyone comes near." Shadowman turns his head back to check. "No one suspects a thing right now, and we want to keep it that way until we take out Shademan."

"The three of you are going to need more help to defeat him." Model W motions to Phantom. Phantom puts five microchips onto the transporter and presses a button. The microchips appear near Shadowman. "These are the same microchip that Phantom, Prometheus, and Pandora used to open your eyes to who's going to win."

"You want us to try and control the other five Robot Masters before we make our move?" Model W nods. "I like the way you think, that's why I'm sure that your team is going to be the one winning." 

Model W scans the room and notices something. "Why's a plant growing inside a room full of metal?" Shadowman follows Model W's gaze to see what he's talking about.

"It must be one of Plantman's." One of the Geminiman twins enters the room and makes a motion to Shadowman. "Alright, someone's coming. I'm cutting off the transmission."

The image of Shadowman disappears and the hologram of Weil turns to face Phantom. "You see, Phantom, that's why it pays to be posted about the enemy."

Phantom nods and quickly goes over to a machine as it beeps. "Our scanners have located a strong energy signal. It's faint, but it's definitely the Mother Elf."

"Things are beginning to fall into place perfectly." 

-----------------------------------------------------------

This chapter's a whole lot longer than the others since I just seemed to get one idea after the other. As for the lemon idea, if it somehow manages to work, can you guys spread the word about this fic to get more readers?

Anyways, remember to Read and Review! Reading good comments makes me want to work more on the fic.


	30. Chapter 29: Tactical Retreat

Well, before we begin the next chapter, I'll just address some concerns:

SpartanCommander: Everyone has their own tastes, and you probably are more of the action/adventure type of person than romance. As for the concerns about Model W's plan, I didn't have a lot of time left last chapter, but I'll explain some things.

Charli: Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to ask someone else on that one. I've never played Megaman X8 and have no idea who the heck Layer is. I never played Megaman ZX either, but I've done my research and it's closely connected to Megaman Zero, which I did play.

Well, as for the other reviews, thank you for supporting me so far by reading the story. As for the lemon problem, I've written the chapter but it's not really connected to the story plotwise so it'll be an optional read. I've heard that fanfiction banned lemons, so you'll have to all wait until I find a suitable place to post it, probably adultfanfiction.

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"What did all of you want to talk to me about?" Shademan rests his head by propping it up with his arm while he sits down on his throne. The eight other Robot Masters are kneeling down in front of him.

"We all think that there are things that really need changing, Shademan." Geminiman stands up to speak. "Some things just aren't working out for us right now."

"Like what?" Shademan closes his eyes with disinterest and the other Robot Masters all stand up. "Hurry up and get on with it. I have better things to do."

"Like you!" Plantman's arm turns into a long whip-like vine and he lashes it at Shademan. Shademan extends his arm and takes into the air and the vine smashes his throne into pieces.

"Crush Noise!" The shockwave hits Magnetman and Metalman while the less bulky Robot Masters manage to avoid the attack. Shademan uses his other wing to launch another attack, but Shadowman jumps into the air and slashes at Shademan with his katana.

The vampire Robot Master falls down to the ground and Magnetman's hands begin to glow. "I can't… move." Shademan tries to struggle to get out, but fails. "What's the meaning of this?"

"We've decided that we don't need you to lead us anymore. The eight of us are going to follow Model W." Geminiman goes in front of Shademan and his hand transforms into a buster.

"What made you decide this?"

"During our fights my fight with Prometheus and Vent, Prometheus planted a microchip on me in the middle of our battle. The same goes for Magnetman for his fight with Pandora. As for Shadowman, it's when he fought Phantom. The chips helped us see the truth, and later, we didn't even need them anymore. We planted them on the others and now they're on our side as well."

Shademan just chuckles at Geminiman's explanation. "That's all I needed to know." The vampire Robot Master transforms into hundreds of tiny bats and a claw tears through Geminiman's chest. Blood drips onto the floor and Geminiman falls down to the ground.

"GET HIM!" Magnetman prepares to launch a Magnet Missile at the bat-like Robot Master, but a katana is held beside his neck and Magnetman stops. "Shadowman!? What are you doing?"

"The two of you are weaklings, believing that sticking with Weil will make you safe." The other five Robot Masters stop attacking and stand in front of Shademan. Plantman continues explaining to Magnetman. "We needed to root out all the weeds, so we pretended to be on your side."

"That's impossible! Shadowman, you're supposed to be with us. How could the six of you have resisted the microchip?"

"I guess you deserve to know the cause of your death." Shademan steps up and holds a claw against Magnetman's cheeks and Shadowman sheaths his katana. "When you and Geminiman first made contact with Model W, there was a plant in the room. Plantman heard everything and informed the rest of us. We got upgrades to make ourselves immune to the effects of the microchip."

"But-" Magnetman is cut off by Shademan's claw tearing through his armor, completely annihilating the red Robot Master.

Shademan turns to the five other Robot Masters. "Use their remains to create more mechaniloids." The leader of the Robot Masters then turns to Shadowman. "Did you get the location of Weil's base?" 

Shadowman nods and hands Shademan a disk. "Excellent work," Shademan turns again to face Plantman. "You didn't have to destroy my throne, you know?"

"Well, you said to make it look a bit convincing, and I that attack's hard to control." Shademan nods and dismisses the six remaining Robot Masters with a wave of his arm. Plantman stops to look at Shademan. "Now that the traitors are out of the way, how long until we get to have some fun and get rid of Model W and his cronies?"

"Soon, Plantman, all of you won't have to wait for long. Once I examine the necessary information, we'll make our move." The other Robot Masters give a nod and leave the room while Shademan gets to work. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Vent and Aile's Room**

"Aile, are you here?" Vent looks around and sees the figure of Aile under white covers. Vent shakes it and Aile let's out a groan before wiping her eyes and looking at Vent. "Isn't it a bit early to be sleeping?"

"Is it that weird for me to be taking a nap? I'm exhausted right now." Aile yawns and looks at Vent. "What took you so long?"

"I guess I lost track of time." Vent reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small package. "I bought this for you." Aile gets up form her bed. She opens the small package and finds a gold bracelet with her name on it in all capital letters. "I just saw this and thought you might like it."

"It's not like anyone will notice a difference because of the gloves that we always wear." Vent realizes that Aile's right and blushes at his own stupidity.

_What the heck was I thinking? I should've spent a bit more time on this instead of buying something on impulse._

"It's the thought that counts. I'm just glad that you remembered." Aile puts Vent's present on her wrist. "How does it look?" 

"Great." Vent takes a deep breath as he prepares himself for what he's about to say next. _I think now's the best time to ask her. She seems to be in a better mood than last night._ "You're not still mad, are you?"

"I'm feeling a bit better."

"I was wondering if you could reconsider getting to know Pandora…" Vent looks down on the ground as he waits for her answer. _I got to know her a lot better…_ He adds silently in his mind.

"Maybe later," Aile notices a bump in Vent's pocket. "What's that?" 

Vent's eyes widen and he immediately takes out a small pink stuffed animal. "I almost forgot about this! I'm planning to give this to Prairie. Can you do that for me?" Aile nods as she takes the miniature doll in her hands. Aile leaves the room and Vent watches her go.

_Well, that went a whole lot better than I expected._ Vent climbs onto his bed at the top bunk and sighs. _Maybe my luck is finally starting to change. I wonder what improved Aile's mood. Oh well, the important thing is that she isn't mad at me anymore._

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Ciel and Prairie's Room**

Ciel steps out of the bathroom after changing into a new set of clothing and sighs. Prairie looks at her sis. "How did the visit to Zero go?"

Ciel cheeks turn the slightest tinge of pink as she answers. "Fine…" 

"You were gone for two hours. You two must have talked about something really interesting." Prairie stretches her arm upwards as she yawns while sitting on her chair. "Doing paperwork is so boring. Maybe I can get some of the operators to help."

"Zero and I fell asleep for a while." Ciel looks at the pile of paper on Prairie's and her desk. "Yeah, maybe that would be the best idea." Someone knocks on the door and Ciel turns to shout. "Come in."

The door opens and Aile steps in with a miniature doll in her hands. "Vent told me that he wanted me to give this to you." Aile holds it out to Prairie and the Guardian Commander takes it. Prairie turns the stuffed animal around as she looks it over.

"Aww, this is so cute." She makes a space on her desk between the line of other dolls that she has and puts it in. Aile looks at it and notices something. _She arranged all the dolls in order of size. Maybe I can ask her about Vent's request…_

"Prairie, I need some advice." Aile looks at Ciel, wondering if this is really the best time to be asking right now.

"I know when I'm not needed. I'll just go ahead and give the two of you some privacy while you talk." Ciel leaves the room and closes the door behind her and Prairie turns to face Aile.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Hmm? Oh, right. Vent wants me to get to know Pandora better, but I'm not really sure if I should. What if it turns out to be really awkward?" Prairie sighs as she rubs her temples, contemplating the question. 

"Why do you always ask me about problems in your relationship? What makes you think I know anything about that?"

"I just want to get your input." Aile looks at the pink reploid as she thinks of Prairie's question herself. _Now that I think about it, that's a really good point. She's not in a relationship, but maybe that's why I always trust her with these questions. Her answers won't be limited to her own experience._

"Well, I think you might as well talk to her. If anything, at least you'll be able to find out if Vent really likes her and why." Prairie looks across her desk as an idea forms in her mind. "Since you don't seem to be that busy, why don't you help me with this load of paperwork?"

"Praiiiirie." 

"Don't think that sounding cute will get you out of all your responsibilities. Just tell me if you find anything interesting and I'll look over it and take care of it." Prairie piles a bunch of papers about three centimeters thick on Aile's palms as the ex-delivery girl tries to keep it from falling with her fingers. 

"But I don't have a pen!" Prairie puts a black pen on top of the pile of papers. Aile sighs, knowing she's been beat. "Well, thanks for the advice." Aile walks out of the room after steadying the papers in her hand.

"Here, let me get the door for you." Prairie opens the door and Aile walks out carrying the paperwork with her.

_Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go to Prairie. I should've known she'd try to pull something like this._ Aile sighs as she walks along the hallway. _Still, I guess what she said did make sense._

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Vent and Aile's Room**

"What do you expect me to do with all of this?" Vent looks at the pile of papers that Aile put on his desk.

"Just read through all of them and if there's anything interesting, mark it down." Aile stretches her arms after finally getting rid of the paper. _Wow, it might be light, but it sure strains the arm._

"Why do I have to do all of this?" Vent looks at all the paper in the pile, deciding if it was a good idea to try and argue.

"Just think of it as punishment for staying out so late. Besides, I need to talk with Pandora, as you suggested."

"I buy you a present and this is what I get in return?" Vent mutters quietly as he starts reading over the first report.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" He reads over the report faster and hears Aile exiting the room. _This is so boring, I wonder how the others can even stand doing this._ Vent's eyes start to get heavier and heavier as he goes on, slowly trying to take in the details. _Maybe I can just say none of these reports have anything interesting, but if Aile finds out…_

Vent decides it's best to not risk it and starts reading through it, trying to absorb all the small details. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Prometheus and Pandora's Room**

Aile peeks in through the door to find Pandora without her helmet on. This is the first time that Aile's seen the white reploid without her helmet on and pays attention to the details of her face. There isn't a single fault that Pandora could pinpoint and her green hair just adds to the effect. _Does Vent like Pandora because of her looks?_

"You don't have to hide. I can see you." Aile gulps and walks into the room. Pandora turns to face Aile. "Did you come here to tell me to stay away from Vent?"

_A part of me wanted to, but…_ Aile takes a deep breath and begins to speak. "Vent said that we should get to know each other a bit better." Aile tries to read Pandora's expression, but fails at finding any traces of emotion.

"What did you want to know?"

_Wow, what do I want to know? Vent really didn't think any of this over._ "Umm… maybe you can start by telling me a bit about your childhood?" _Wow, that's a really dumb way to start things off._

"I have no childhood."

_I knew she'd be… wait, what?_ Aile tries to figure out what Pandora means by this. "I know you're a reploid, but I just wanted to know where if there was a time when you had no worries and played with others, that sort of thing."

"I've never told anyone this since they never asked, but…" Pandora pauses for a moment. "The humanoids who took me in when I was complete only looked at me as free labor. I had to work hard everyday for my own survival and barely had any time to associate with others."

_That really makes me seem like a jerk…_ "I'm sorry, I had no idea."

"Now that I think about it, that's probably the main reason I gladly joined Model W back then when he offered me power."

"What exactly did any of that have to do with joining Model W?"

"I guess I just thought of everyone as the same, just selfish people who only cared about themselves. Sometimes I had a notion where I might be wrong and attempted to escape, but Weil captured me and tortured me along with Prometheus, who tried to escape as well."

_That explains a lot of things. Maybe Vent's right about Pandora not being a bad person. I guess it's not really Pandora causing the problems, it's Vent. What am I supposed to do?_ "It must be very hard to not have anyone that cared about you. Vent's and my mothers died, but we at least we knew they loved us, and then we had Girouette to take care of us after that."

"It's a sign of weakness to rely on others, that's what I've learned to believe." Pandora sighs. "Still, I wonder if it's also a sign of weakness to be able to enjoy some companionship for once instead of being all alone."

"You chosen ones should just mind your own business instead of keep coming here." Aile turns her head to find Prometheus standing by the doorway.

_Pandora's one thing, but I really don't want to be dealing with him._ Aile turns and exits the door while brushing past Prometheus. Prometheus enters the room and closes the door while Aile walks a long in the hallway.

_Now that I know her a bit better, maybe she's not evil, but she's still trying to steal Vent away from me. I'll just have to deal with this some other time._

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**Desert**

"Well, figures this place would be where someone would hide. There are almost no life forms out here." Plantman looks around the area for any signs of a base. "Where did you say their base was, Shadowman?" 

"We'll have to go about ten more miles west of here before it's visible. It's hidden by a cloaking program, but we can just change our vision to bypass that."

"Alright, let's begin." Shademan raises his hands as mechaniloids start to march forward to Weil's base. 

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**Model W's Base**

"Is she almost ready, Phantom?" Weil's image moves closer to a capsule as Phantom begins pushing buttons on the computer.

"She'll be complete in about five minutes or so."

"Good, how's our other project coming along?"

"The data from the piece of Ragnarok that Prometheus and Pandora sent us have been extracted." Phantom goes to the computer and presses a few buttons as a disk ejects. "We'll be able to start with the next phase soon."

"Things are progressing along better than I had hoped. Soon, the Guardians will be at our mercy." The alarm begins to ring and mechaniloids show up on the monitors. "Someone's attacking? Deploy the defense systems at once!"

Phantom presses a button and looks at the monitor. "That's strange, those are the Robot Masters mechaniloids, but none of the Robot Masters are anywhere to be found."

"I guess we overestimated Magnetman, Geminiman, and Shadowman's competence. It doesn't matter. This is just a minor setback." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Outside Model W's Base**

Cannons and guns begin to appear on Weil's base and then they start attacking the invading mechaniloids. "I guess it's finally my turn." Sand begins to lift up as Metalman stands. He tosses his Metal Blade and it rips through all the guns and cannons.

An entrance opens up in Model W's base and an army of mechaniloids move out. Before they could start attacking, the sand freezes, causing the mechaniloids to short circuit. Freezeman appears beside Metalman. "This is too easy. I wonder when they'll actually come out themselves."

Burnerman comes flying in and he stops above Model W's base. His two hands become flamethrowers. The red Robot Master aims downwards and starts setting the whole base on fire. "Now they'll have to come out sooner or later, and that's when we'll destroy them." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Model W's Base**

"What, how could this be happening?" Model W slams the table, but his holographic hands just go right through. "Phantom, alert Pandora and Prometheus to come back immediately, we're retreating." 

Phantom nods and he gets out his communicator. "Did the two of you forget about me?" The ninja Robot Master appears phases through the wall and walks into the room.

"Shadowman? Why are you working with Shademan again?" Weil looks as the purple ninja Robot Master walks toward the central computer.

"I was never working for you in the first place. I wonder what would happen if I press this button." Shadowman uses the hilt of his katana to smash through a protective glass and presses the emergency self destruct button.

_"Countdown has begun. Five minutes until the base explodes._ A timer appears on the screen and Phantom draws his own weapon, preparing to fight Shadowman.

"We don't have time for that right now. Let's get out of here." Shadowman just phases through the wall as Model W and Phantom start floating toward the exit. 

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**Guardian HQ**

Prometheus's communicator beeps and he immediately gets it from his cape. "What is it, Model W?"

"The Robot Masters are attacking. It seems that we underestimated them. We need you and Pandora to get back here immediately and help." Prometheus nods as he closes the communicator.

"Come on, Pandora, let's go." Pandora just gives a small nod and puts on her helmet. The two of them run towards the Commander's Room and Prometheus looks inside. "There are a few operators in there. I'll just take care of them and use the trans-server to get out." 

Prometheus gets out his scythe and prepares to rush in, but Pandora stops him. "There's no need for that. I'll take care of this." Pandora opens the door and walks into the room.

"Pandora, what are you doing…" The operator turns, and before she could finish her question, Pandora draws her staff and shoots out electricity at every operator in the room, knocking them unconscious. 

"You didn't kill them? I think you're beginning to get a bit soft." Prometheus goes up to a trans-server and types in the co-ordinates. "Are you ready?"

"I guess…" Pandora and Prometheus steps onto the trans-server and warps out of Guardian HQ. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Model W's Base**

Pandora and Prometheus appear beside Phantom and Model W and cough because of the fumes inside the base. "What the heck is going on right now?" 

"Shadowman activated the self-destruct system and we need to get out of here as soon as possible." Phantom answers as he keeps running. The four of them reach the exit, but finds that they're surrounded by flames. 

"Crush Noise!" Shademan dives at the four of them from above and aims the shockwaves at the three retreating reploids and the hologram. The four of them are hit by the attack and slammed against the walls of their base.

"I'll make you pay for that!" Prometheus lunges at Shademan with his scythe, but vines shoot out from the sand to entangle him. Prometheus screams and lets out a yell, causing flames to surround his body and burn the vines.

Shademan shoots his arm at Prometheus and his claws pierce through his shoulder, bring down the dark purple reploid. Pandora and Phantom prepare to fight as well, but ice begins to encase their bodies. 

"Just give up, the four of you are outnumbered and outmatched, not to mention that only three of you can fight." Freezeman and Plantman walk through the flames first, and then the rest of the Robot Masters follow.

Pandora and Phantom breaks out of their icy prison, but the ground below them explodes, knocking them backwards. Shademan turns to Crashman. "Good job, Crashman. Now, time to finish you all off for good."

A dark streak of lightning shoots out from the entrance to the base and knocks back the vampire Robot Master. A red and blue female reploid with brown hair and dark purple eyes appears walks out. A dark purple aura surrounds the figure, protecting her from the Robot Masters' attacks. "Who's this? This may be unexpected, but it won't make a difference!"

"Dark Elf, I'm glad to see that you're finally awake. I need you to teleport the five of us out of here right now." The brown haired reploid nods and snaps her fingers, causing a dark purple portal to open.

Pandora, Prometheus, Phantom, and Model W go in and Iris goes in last as the portal closes. Shademan shoots out his claw at the portal, but it touches nothing but air. "They escaped." Shademan lets out a growl and bares his teeth. "It doesn't matter now, we've destroyed their base. They won't be a problem for us for a long time." 

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**Commander's Room**

"What happened here?" Prairie, Aile, and Vent help the fallen operators get up as they slowly cough. "Who did this to you?" 

"Prometheus… and Pandora… used the trans-server to get out… of here." One operator opens her eyes and slowly begins to speak. Vent and Aile look up in surprise at the mention of the two names.

"I'll go and check their room." Vent bolts up and heads out of the door as Aile looks at the operators.

"Can you tell us exactly what you saw?"

"I turned as Pandora walked in the room… and the next thing I know, I'm unconscious…" The operator coughs a little bit and Prairie starts going up to the trans-server.

"I'll try to track down their location and see where they went." Aile helps two operators get up and gets them to the Medic Wing. After safely transporting all of them, she looks at Prairie.

"Did you manage to find anything?"

"I managed to locate that they teleported to a desert and I opened up a visual, but wherever their base was, it's been burnt down. I'm guessing that someone attacked Model W and he had to get Prometheus and Pandora's help to try and get out.

"Does that mean the four of them are all dead?"

"That's hard to say. I'll have to organize a search squad to go in there and see if they can find any bodies." Aile nods and Prairie starts to move away. "The two of them turned out to be traitors after all, but it's a good thing that they didn't learn anything too important."

Aile nods again and Prairie leaves the room. _All the operators weren't heavily injured or killed. Does that mean Pandora decided to spare them or that they just didn't have enough time to finish the job?_

Aile thinks of Pandora's and Prometheus's abilities and concludes that they could probably save more time if they just killed all the operators right then. _Does that mean that Pandora was telling the truth, or is this all some kind of trick?_

Vent runs in the room panting. "I can't find any signs of them in the room. The beds are made as if no one was ever there. Did you and Prairie find out anything interesting?"

Aile explains to Vent what Prairie told her and he stops to think. "Did that mean that Pandora tricked us the whole time? If so, I can't believe that I was such an idiot to have believed her." Vent clenches his fist.

"Actually, I don't think she had much of a choice whether she went back or not, but whether she lied to you or not still remains to be seen." Vent looks at Aile wide-eyed.

_Is she actually defending Pandora?_ Vent stares at Aile for a moment, wondering what to say. "Did you go and talk to her like I suggested?" Aile replies with a nod. "Do you think she's lying, then?"

"Her story would explain a lot of things, and I don't find anything wrong with it, but maybe she's just a good actor. What do you think? You were the one who spent a whole day with her."

"I enjoyed spending time with her, and she really seemed to enjoy it as well. I don't think she's lying, but I can't be sure whether she's still with Model W or not." Vent looks at the clock in the room. "Well, it's almost time for dinner, let's go."

Aile nods and the two of them exit the room together. _Now that Pandora isn't here, Vent's all mine, but this doesn't feel right. I feel like I cheated to get him, but that's ridiculous. I'm sure things will look different soon._

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"I always have a back-up base just in case something like this happens." Model W moves around in their new nearly identical base. "Phantom, do you still have the disk with the data of Ragnarok?"

"I've got it right here." Phantom inserts the disk inside the machine and the data appears on the monitor.

"How come you didn't tell any of us about this extra base?" Prometheus looks around and touches the machines. "If I hadn't been there when our last one burnt down, I'd say this is our last base." 

"It wouldn't be as safe if everyone had known about it now would it?" Model W goes to the monitor and goes through the data. "Excellent, everything seems to be in order. I underestimated those Robot Masters and they took us by surprise, but now we have the advantage. Prometheus, make your report on what the two of you have discovered about the Guardians' base."

Prometheus nods and goes to the computer to insert a disk. A map of Guardian HQ appears on the screen. "The most heavily guarded place is over there, and there." Two spots on the map begin to glow. "If we want to sneak up on them, then the best choice would be to enter from this direction…"

Prometheus finishes his report on Guardian HQ and Model W nods. "You two have done very well, I'm pleased." Model W then turns to the newest addition to their group. "Now, Iris, would you like to greet Zero again?"

"Zero?" Iris looks at Model W with blank eyes.

"Of course you don't remember him, but I'm sure he'll remember you." Model W checks the map of Guardian HQ one more time. "We'll make those Robot Masters pay for what they did. Everyone shall soon bow down before our might." 

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Well, that's about it for now. Remember to tell me your opinions by leaving a review! The lemon chapter probably isn't suitable for even with an M rating and a warning of lemons, so I'll let you guys know how it goes once I find out what to do with it.


	31. Chapter 30: Dead End

Sorry I haven't been able to update lately, I needed to find a way to connect this chapter to the other plans I have for future chapters. Wow, 17 people added this story to favorites, I feel honored. Anyways, the last part of this story is a bit gory than what I usually write, but no horror story material.

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"Model W and the others managed to escape, and now they have one more member." Shademan stands up from his throne to look at the six Robot Masters. "Shadowman, did you search the entire base for anything concerning his plan?"

"Model W's very good at covering his trail. If he had any plans stored in his hardware, it isn't there anymore. However, I did manage to find something interesting that might help us." Shadowman inserts something into the computer and a hologram of a graph appears in front of all the Robot Masters.

"You mind telling us what all this means?" Burnerman looks at the graph without a single clue. "This doesn't look like anything to me." 

"Model W was working on a way to convert the lives of humanoids, reploids, and pure humans alike into a massive source of energy. This type of energy is nothing like the kind produced by the Ciel System or anything else. The green line represents the type of energy that is commonly used and the red line is the type of energy Model W would get by converting people."

Shademan compare the two lines and easily notes that the red line goes through the graph. "If he needs all of that, then he must be planning something big."

"I say we just hunt him down and burn everything that's left. That way, we won't have anything to worry about." Burnerman declares. "I don't know why all of you are making such a big deal out of Model W."

"He escaped last time and we have no idea where to look. How exactly do you think we can hunt him down?" Freezeman looks at the burning Robot Master. "Even if we do, he'll be expecting us and we'll be at a disadvantage."

"This actually all works out quite well of us." The other six Robot Masters stop talking and listen to their leader. "There's an ability that I wasn't able to use in the past due to the Three Laws of Robotics, but now we're no longer bound by those, so I'll finally be able to test it out. Here's what I want each of you to do…" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Guardian HQ**

"We've completed our search of this area. There are no abnormal activities going on here." The face of a Guardian soldier appears on the screen.

"Continue searching for any signs of the Robot Masters or Model W. I'll alert you if any of the other squads manage to find anything." The soldier acknowledges with a nod and Prairie turns off the transmission.

"Model W and the Robot Masters disappeared without leaving any trails behind. Searching isn't likely to yield any results." Ciel looks at the Guardian Commander tapping a nearby table with her fingers in impatience. "They've been at it for two hours now, this isn't working."

"It's the only thing we can do now. I'm not going to let anyone else get killed because of Model W and the Robot Masters. We can't just wait for them to attack and exhaust all our forces to hold them back just to get attacked again later. This needs to end soon."

"We've found… something…" The face of another soldier appears on the monitor. The screen is fuzzy and the voice is distorted. "It's… AHH!" The soldier lets out a scream before his face is completely replaced by static.

"Are you alright!? Answer me!" Prairie tries to contact the squad, but the signal doesn't get through. "Operators, trace the signal." The operators nod and begin working.

"We've traced the signals. We'll send the co-ordinates to the trans-server immediately. This will take a minute."

"Contact Zero, Aile, Vent, X, Harpuia, Leviathan and Fefnir immediately. This could be where one of their bases is located. We need everyone we can get." After about a minute, everyone enters the room and Prairie and Ciel explain the situation.

"This could be where either the Robot Masters or Model W is hiding. Are you sure that you're all ready to do this?" They all nod their heads and Ciel points to the trans-servers. "The data is ready. Get on and we'll teleport you."

The seven of them get on the different trans-servers and teleport out of Guardian HQ. "Do you think they'll be alright?" Ciel looks at Prairie.

"Whatever they're getting into, I'm sure it'll be okay. All seven of them are together, and Zero, X, Vent, and Aile have fought plenty of battles where they were outnumbered and still managed to win." 

"Commander, sorry we weren't able to give our report earlier, something was blocking the signal." A Guardian soldier appears on the screen. "There doesn't seem to be any irregularities here, we're moving on to the next area."

"Wait, didn't you just give your report earlier?"

"No, we spent the last half hour trying to get through. Why do you say that?"

"Operators, what other squads are in charge of searching that area?" The operators start checking on Prairie's command.

"That's the only squad who's even close to the area that we got the last transmission from. None of the other squads can even get close to that area without the aid of the trans-server."

"Wait, that means…" Ciel starts typing into the computer and speaks into the microphone. "Zero, are you there? Answer me. ZERO!" Ciel slams her hands on the table in frustration and tries contacting the other six warriors with no luck.

"Operators, bring them back right now!" The operators start typing, but the trans-servers start to overload with electricity.

"Something's interfering… we need to shut down the trans-servers!" Ciel presses a few buttons on the computer and the trans-servers all stop glowing. Ciel sighs with relief and tries to contact Zero again. 

"This isn't working… we just threw the seven of them into a trap." Prairie starts pacing around the room. "All of this is my fault. If I tried to check things more carefully, and if I wasn't so impatient, then they'd still be here."

"I'm sure that they'll be alright. After all, they have Zero with them." Ciel tries to calm Prairie, but then a siren begins blaring. 

"Something's wrong in Innerpeace! The Guardians that have been sent there aren't responding." The operators start typing furiously. "We've located the area that the distress call came from. The threat is unknown."

"I'll go and check it out." Prairie starts walking toward the trans-server, but Ciel grabs onto her arm.

"This is too dangerous for you to go alone. I'll come with you."

"You need to stay and find a way to contact Zero and the others. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Operators, transport me." The operators nod and begin typing.

"Just be careful. I have a feeling that someone planned all of this. Don't push yourself too hard, Prairie." Prairie nods and she teleports out of Guardian HQ. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"I don't see anyone here…" Fefnir looks around to take in the scenery. There are two tall hills that create a low valley and the ground is covered with grass. "Are these plants real or artificial? I don't remember seeing so much grass in one place."

"These plants are artificial, but it looks like it's just been put here recently, most likely in the last hour or so." Harpuia puts his hand on the ground to analyze it.

"That means someone has to be near." Leviathan looks around. "Hey, is anyone there!?" Leviathan sits down on the ground and sighs. "I thought some soldiers were supposed to be here. They didn't even have the courtesy to wait for us."

"We weren't transferred to their exact location. We'll just have to look around until we find them." X starts walking between the hills and the others follow him.

"I found someone!" Vent and Aile rushes up at the figure of a Guardian soldier. "Are you all right?" The soldier is lying on the ground with his back facing them.

"I'm getting a strange reading from… VENT, AILE! Get away from him!" Vent and Aile turn the soldier and find out that it's just a mechaniloid dressed in the standard Guardian garb. The mechaniloid's head has a bomb attached to it, and it goes off, blinding everyone with a flash of light.

"I can't see…" Aile opens her eyes again to find that the grass is replaced by vines and they've occupied her feet and arms. She looks around and sees that the others are in a similar situation.

"You should have just let me use a real bomb to finish them right then instead of that flash bomb. Things would have been a lot simpler that way." Crashman appears and five other Robot Masters appear with him.

"How many times do we have to explain to you that it would have been too obvious? Just be glad that you don't have to explain to Shademan that you somehow screwed up." Plantman looks around to count the captives. "That's all seven of them. This is a better turnout than we first thought."

"What did you do to the Guardian soldiers who were here?" Aile tries to break free of her restraints, but it doesn't work.

"There never were any Guardians here. I sent the fake transmission to lure all of you here." Shadowman looks at the others trying to break free of the vines as well. "Don't even bother. Plantman spent a lot of time reinforcing it to make sure none of you can break free." 

"Alright, Crashman, now you get to use your bombs." Crashman nods and the other five Robot Masters get out of the way. Zero looks up to see explosions on the hills and rocks tumbling down on them. He and the others try to break free of the vine, but they're buried under the rocks before they could do that.

Crashman rushes out of the valley and meets with the other five Robot Masters. "Do we just wait here and make sure that they're dead?" He looks at the pile of rubble.

"Our main goal isn't to kill them, just to keep them busy. All we have to do is drag this fight on as long as possible, but if we're able to kill them, then we will. I doubt that a rockslide will keep them down for long."

A bright light comes out of the rubble and dims to show X in his Falcon Armor. Harpuia flies into the air as well and the remaining five warriors dash out of the valley, with Veent and Aile using Model X. "It's over now!"

"See what I mean? Let's go." Shadowman, Plantman, Metalman, and Freezeman run into a forest, but Crashman and Burnerman stay and weigh their two different options.

"I suppose two on seven isn't a fair fight, and Shademan will be mad if he gets interrupted. Come on." Burnerman and Crashman follow the other four Robot Masters with X and Harpuia following from the air. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace**

Prairie enters a building to find it completely empty. _Where is everyone? Shouldn't there be some Guardians around here patrolling the area?_ Prairie exits the building and finds hears a faint sniffling sound. _What is that?_

Prairie follows the sound and enters an alley to find a small humanoid female crying. "What's wrong?" The humanoid backs away against the wall when she first hears Prairie's voice, but then relaxes and manages to talk between sniffles.

"A bunch of… bats attacked me and my parents. I managed to escape… but something's wrong with everyone. My own parents… tried to attack me…" Prairie reaches her arm out to help the crying girl up and leads her out of the alley.

"Where is everyone?"

"I saw them go in there." The girl points to a distant building and Prairie follows her fingers. Recognition begins to dawn on Prairie when she zooms in. _That's the emergency weapon storage for the area. Why would they need that for a bat problem? Wait… there aren't any bats in Innerpeace._

"Stay here, I'll go and see what's going on." Prairie tries to leave, but feels the girl tugging onto her sleeve.

"I want to go see mommy and daddy… can I come with you?" Prairie prepares to shake her head but the girl tugs harder. "Please. I want to see them."

_The Guardians are supposed to protect the people of Innerpeace, but what's the point if she can't see her own parents. I just hope I'm not making a mistake in doing this._ Prairie sighs. "Alright, but promise me that you'll always stay behind me and be careful. I don't want you getting hurt."

The girl nods eagerly and follows Prairie as the two of them head toward the emergency weapon storage warehouse. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Forest**

"Be careful, Plantman will be able to attack from every direction." X points to their surroundings to prove his point.

"Zero… are you there?"

"Ciel?" Zero presses a button on his helmet and begins speaking.

"I've managed to alter the transmission to bypass the interference. Just give me about half an hour and I'll be able to transport all of you back. Is there anything that you need right now?"

"Can you search this area for energy signatures other than ours? We can't find any of the Robot Masters."

"I'll try…" Zero listens to Ciel typing for a few seconds before she groans in frustration. "Something's wrong. According to the scans, the area around you is surrounded by energy signals similar to the Robot Masters. Maybe we didn't fully get rid of the interference yet."

"That just means we need to look for the Robot Masters by ours elf. Tell me when you can teleport us back." Zero clicks a button on his helmet and ends the transmission. "Alright, we'll have to split up and search for them."

"It's safer to stick together. That way, we'll be more prepared if they try to ambush us." X jumps into the air and starts hovering. "Harpuia and I will be alert for aerial attacks and the five of you can cover the ground."

"Wait…" Zero jumps into the air and draws his Z-Saber. He slashes at X, knocking the blue reploid down to the ground.

"Zero! What are you doing?" Fefnir, Leviathan, Harpuia, Vent and Aile all point their weapons at Zero at X, unsure of what just happened.

"X can't fly in his normal armor. This isn't X!" X wipes off the dirt and stands back up to look at Zero.

"You're an observant one, aren't you?" X's armor begins to change into a purple garb. Shadowman looks at Zero and the others. "Since X and Harpuia were in front of you, I took the liberty of creating an illusion. In fact…"

Harpuia transforms into another Shadowman and slashes at the nearest person, which happened to be Vent. Pieces of blue metla fly into the air, but the katana didn't cut deep enough to touch Vent's flesh.

"These two are just copies. They'll go down easily, but be careful nonetheless." Zero turns on his helmet. "Ciel, contact X and Harpuia and tell them our location. Tell them that they're with Shadowman copies if what it looks like we're with them." 

"Alright, I'll warn them right now." Zero turns off the transmission and looks at the two Shadowmans. _It's six on one, this shouldn't be too hard._

Vent makes the first move by firing a charged buster shot at one of the copies. The Shadowman clone splits into two and the charged shot passes between them as they run forward. Vent rolls backward to barely avoid the two katanas and the copies are taken out by two fiery blasts.

"They can split now!?" The remaining Shadowman lunges at Zero. The crimson reploid ducks down and puts his right hand on the ground. He kicks the copy with his feet while using his right hand to balance himself.

The Shadowman clone shoots upward into the air from Zero's push and Zero aims his Z-Buster. The Z-Buster fires, but Shadowman splits into six before it hits. _Just how many times can he use that!?_ The copies land to surround Zero and they throw shurikens at the red reploid.

_I can't avoid this!_ Zero uses his arms to shield his head and waits for the shurikens to hit. Zero removes his arms after not getting hit and sees the black blades stuck in six large pillars of ice coming from the ground.

"Don't think you're the only one that gets to fight." Leviathan slams her staff down on the ground and the ice pillars break into small needles. She directs the needles at the direction of the Shadowman clones and they all disappear with a poof. "Those guys may be hard to hit, but they sure can't take a hit well."

"Alright, we're finally here. Sorry that we rushed off without all of you earlier." Harpuia and X in his Falcon Armor arrive and Zero looks at them doubtfully.

"How do I know that you two are not just more tricks from Shadowman?" 

"Well, there was this time at poker on March 26th during the time 2137 when you…"

"Okay, that's enough. I get it already." Zero sighs as he tries to erase the memory from his mind. _I sleep in hibernation for one hundred years and lose all my memories, but that's the first one I'm able to fully recover. Maybe I should try to get hibernation sickness again…_

"Did it just get colder in here?" Harpuia shivers a bit. "Leviathan, what's the temperature?"

"It's… zero degrees Celsius and dropping." Frost begins to form on the grass and trees, alarming the seven warriors. "They're close…" 

"AAA-" Harpuia sniffles a bit to prevent himself from sneezing. "I really hate low temperatures like this."

A blast of ice hits Harpuia behind and smashes him against the trunk of a tree. The ice freezes at the trunk, trapping the green reploid. Harpuia activates his wind sabers and manages to break free of the ice.

Freezeman appears with Burnerman and Shadowman. A large amount of frost twirls around Freezeman's hands and he points at X. X flies into the air as a white beam comes for him. The bema hits a tree and completely encases in ice.

Fefnir fires two fireballs from his twin busters at Freezeman, but Burnerman absorbs it into his own flames. "You can't defeat us!" Burnerman falls screams as lightning strikes him down from the sky. 

Harpuia crosses his sabers together to deflect an incoming attack from Shadowman. Shadowman splits into five and surrounds the green reploid, but Vent and Aile dispatches the four copies easily with their X-Busters.

A puff of smoke surrounds Shadowman and the ninja Robot Master disappears. Burnerman throws a bomb at the three of them and ignites it. Vent, Aile, and Harpuia recoil from the force of the blast and watch as the forest catches on fire.

_We need to get rid of that or we won't be able to fight properly._ Leviathan creates a large block of ice and fires it in the direction of the firing. The ice melts, dousing off the flames. Leviathan turns to find a white beam heading toward her. She lifts her staff up and spins it to block the beam, but finds her arm frozen to her staff. 

"Your powers are ineffective against me!" Freezeman fires another beam at Leviathan as the ice on her staff shatters. Leviathan fires an ice serpent from the tip of her staff and their two attacks meet. 

Leviathan's serpent swallows Freezeman's beam and heads toward the crystal Robot Master. Freezeman uses his other arm to fire a blast of ice at Leviathan, canceling her attack and slamming her down to the ground. 

X fires a charged shot from his buster Freezeman, but a pillar of ice encases the crystal Robot Master and protects him from the attack. X dashes at the ice and jumps into the air while charging his buster. He slams his buster at the ice, slightly cracking it, and fires. Freezeman's protective ice breaks as the crystal Robot Master flies through it.

"Behind you," X turns to find Shadowman ready to strike with his katana. Shadowman gets knocked into the air and disappears when Zero attacks the ninja Robot Master from behind. "I think we got them. Is everyone alright?"

"I think so." Vent, Aile, Harpuia and Leviathan recover as they get closer to form a group. _What's that sound?_ A metal blade flies through the air at Zero as the others get out of the way. Zero tries to deflect the blade with his Z-Saber, and succeeds. The force of the attack pushes the Z-Saber out of the crimson reploid's hands and Metalman appears in front of him.

Metalman appears and dashes in front of Zero, punching the unarmed reploid in the chest. Zero flies toward Burnerman and the red Robot Master gets out his flamethrowers, scorching the crimson reploids.

"Zero!" X fires at Burnerman, but vines pop out of the ground and shield the red Robot Master. Four hands appear from the ground and grab onto X's legs. Three Shadowmans surround the white and blue reploid in a triangle like position. X tries to move, but finds that he's somehow paralyzed.

_This is not good._ X looks around for help, but find that everyone's occupied fighting other Robot Masters. _What's going on? My vision sensors must not be working properly._ Everything seems to darken for X except for himself and the three Shadowmans.

"I'll show you my ultimate attack." The three Shadowmans each draw a katana and one Shadowman dashes forward while his katana changes to a glowing gold color. The copy slashes at X in a crescent shape and disappears. The gold light from his katana creates a trail in the slash in the shape of a crescent moon.

_There's two more left._ X notices that another Shadowman has a light blue katana and the air around him seems to be freezing. He looks at his armor and notices tiny snowflakes on it.

The Shadowman rushes forward chargess straight across X with his katana raised. X feels his leg encasing in ice and soon, his whole body is trapped as large spikes of ice rise up from the ground around him. The ice shatters in two when the effects of Shadowman's attack finally sets in. That Shadowman disappears, leaving only one more. 

_I can't risk another attack. I need to find a way to move…_ The darkness starts to change into a blurry rosy violet color as X tries to see the last Shadowman clearly, but everything seems to be messing with his vision. The last Shadowman's katana is a pink color and large pink petals form around X, as if he's the center of a flower. 

X looks at Shadowman and sees him getting closer, but his whole body doesn't seem to be moving. Shadowman leaves a trail of images behind him as he gets closer. The purple ninja Robot Master jumps straight into the air when he reaches X, slashing at the white and blue reploid.

The flower scatters into thousands of petals and flies in the air and X's blood darkens them. X falls down to the ground as the last petal drops and his vision returned back to normal. X reverts back to his original form and Shadowman prepares to finish off the blue reploid. 

Aile and Vent glance in his direction and sees X lying on the ground. They try to help, but Plantman grabs onto their legs with his tail and slams them down to the ground. _If we don't do something quick, then X will be in trouble._

"Vent, we have no other choice than to use that." Vent nods and the two of them return to their human forms with Model X in their hands. They each reach into their pockets and gets out Model O. "Rock-on!" 

"Changing armors isn't going to help you defeat me!" Vent and Aile finish their transformation and Plantman raises his tail up as thorns appear. "Rose Needle!"

Vent jumps into the air and spins with his OX Saber, sending blue waves of ice to freeze the incoming needles. Aile fires her fully charged buster past Plantman and at Shadowman, giving X some time to get up. 

_It's getting harder to breath. We can't stay in this form for too long…_ Vines surround Plantman's right hand and hardens to transform his hand into a large green spear. The green Robot Master dashes at Vent and attempts to pierce the chosen one.

Vent grabs onto the spear with his hands and tries to push the Robot Master back, but the tip of the spear edges closer to him.

"Vent!" Aile prepares to fire her buster at Plantman, but his tail grabs onto her hand and it pulls her down.

"I have you now!" Vent loses his grip on Plantman's spear and Plantman prepares to finish him off. "AGH!" A flying Metalman knocks Plantman away and a black armored Zero appears next to the two chosen ones.

"You'll pay for that!" Metalman stands back up and tosses his blade at Zero, but the black reploid avoids the attack and fires his Z-Buster. Zero turns to look at Vent and Aile panting heavily.

"Are you two okay?"

"We're just not used to, using this." The two of them revert back to their human forms and collapse on the ground. A tree falls down to reveal Fefnir and Crashman brawling with their fists.

An attack hits Zero from behind and he kneels down in pain to find Shadowman's katana. Zero trips Shadowman and tosses him away, but the ninja Robot Master disappears. _There's too many of them right now. We can't take them._ Metalman comes at Zero with his fist raised and Plantman charges with his spear.

A red flame attacks the two incoming Robot Masters from the side and knocks them away. X comes out of the flames with his Ultimate Armor. Fefnir gets tossed to them and Crashman tosses his crash bomb.

X fires at the bomb, causing it to explode before it reaches them. The three of them recoil from the hit and end up next to Harpuia and Leviathan fighting Freezeman and Burnerman.

"Zero, I managed to alter the trans-server. I'm taking all of you back." 

All of them teleport out as Shadowman's katana hits nothing but air. "I'll go and warn Shademan right now to retreat."

"They got so lucky. Just another minute and I would've had them." Burnerman slams the ground with his fists, sending a patch of grass on fire.

"I guess there's nothing else we can do here. I'm going to report to Shademan." Shadowman teleports out of the forest and the other five Robot Masters follow him after a slight pause. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Innerpeace Weapon Warehouse**

Prairie sneaks inside the entrance and sees the citizens grabbing weapons of different kind, as though preparing for war. _What's going on here?_ Prairie sees the girl that she brought with her scanning the crowd with her eyes, probably looking for her parents. A look of recognition appears in the girl's eyes and she rushes inside. 

"Wait…" Prairie tries to grab the girl and stop her from going in, but it was too late. The girl runs up to a male and female humanoid.

"Mommy, why did you and daddy just leave me like that?" The two humanoids turn and Prairie gets a good look at them. Their eyes are blank and not a single sign of recognition is on their face. _They don't even recognize their own child?_

Prairie watches and notices that another humanoid grabbed an iron pole and is approaching the girl from behind. _Something's really wrong with everyone. There's no way anyone in Innerpeace would attack a child if they were still in their right minds._

Prairie comes out of hiding and a bunch of humanoids begin pointing their guns at her. Prairie flips a large table and ducks as it deflects the bullets. She grabs onto the girl's hand and makes a run fro the nearby door.

"What happened to mommy and daddy? Why are they attacking us? Did I do something wrong?" Prairie slows down as the girl starts to pant heavily trying to keep up with her.

"Here, climb onto my back." Prairie notices a few droplets of tears falling down the girl's face. The droplets begin to increase in quantity. "It's alright. I promise that everything will be back to normal soon."

The girl nods and she climbs on as the humanoids begin chasing them. Prairie manages to outrun them and make some turns so that the large group separates. Prairie begins breathing heavy and sweating because of the heavy weight and sees an alley.

_I've been seeing a lot of those today._ She enters the alley and finds herself at a dead end. Footsteps are heard and Prairie lets the girl down. She stops breathing and puts her hand over the girl's mouth as she begins to sneeze.

_Just a little bit more. Don't turn now…_ The footsteps fade and eventually disappear. Prairie exhales and removes her hand from the girl's mouth. "That was a close one."

"I want to go back home…" The girl begins to sniffle again. "I miss mommy and daddy. Why did this have to happen? Is it because I've been bad?"

"It's not your fault. I promise you'll be able to go back home." Prairie reaches for her communicator and tries to contact Ciel, but can't. _Ciel changed the frequencies? This isn't good. I have to find some way to warn._ "Come on, let's go."

Prairie grabs onto the girl's arm again and prepares to leave. "Going somewhere?" Prairie freezes and looks at the brick wall that marked their dead end and a familiar figure phases through the wall. 

"Shademan! You're the one behind all of this." Prairie puts her arms around the girl protectively and backs away, but feels someone behind her. Before Prairie could turn, a bunch of arms grab onto her as she loses grip of the girl.

Shademan grabs onto the girl's shoulder and she freezes. Shademan then looks at Prairie. "Ever since I was first made, I had the ability to control humans and weak robots just by simply biting them and inserting special toxins into their blood, both real and aritficial, like the monsters that my designs were based off of. The only things I ever used that ability on back then were just weak machines with no real intelligence, but now I have new possibilities. I have to say I developed a taste for blood today."

"What do you plan to do?" Prairie tries to struggle free, but finds that the hands holding her to be stronger than she first thought. _Shademan must have increased their strength._

"First, I'll give you a demonstration."

"Help me… please…" The girl weakly cries out as two Shademan's incisors lengthen into fangs. He bites down on the neck of the girl and she freezes in fear. After ten seconds, Shademan lifts his head up and the girl's eyes become hollow.

Prairie watches weakly as the girl faints on the ground. "I have no use for weaklings. She'll do anything at my whim, and at my whim, she'll die." Shademan snaps his fingers and blood shoots out of the bite marks on the girl's neck.

_No… she was so young… no one deserves this kind of fate…_ The girl faints onto the ground and Shademan moves toward Prairie. "Now that that's done with, it's your turn."

Prairie feels a few hands legging go of her and she closes her eyes. Two teeth pierce the skin on her neck. Prairie feels her body losing heat and something seems to be changing in her programming for the worse. 

Prairie opens her eyes again and feels all the hands letting go of her. Praire kneels down as her vision becomes blurry and she clutches her head in pain. "Now that I'm done here, I don't need any of them any more."

Prairie turns to find all the humanoids screaming in pain as blood oozes out of their bite marks. The ground becomes covered with blood and it reaches Prairie as she tries to support herself by putting her hands on the ground. The blood starts to stain her gloves and her coat as Shademan walks away.

"I may still have a use for you, so I'll let you live for now." Prairie watches as the blurry image of Shademan disappears away from her sight. _I can't stay conscious for much longer. I need to shut down and… conserve my… energy._

Prairie closes her eyes and faints face first on the blood covered ground. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Fun fact:

The move that Shadowman used was based off a combination in the Playstation 1 game, Saga Frontier, released in 1998 or so. It has a very non-linear battle system, and the three katana moves are called Moonlight Cut, Blizzard, and Tres Flores.

I've decided to start playing again, and that's why I haven't been able to update. Remember to R & R.


	32. Chapter 31: Defective

Wow, I've been really inactive lately. Sorry for not being able to update, school's been pretty harsh lately, and my parents just put a password on my comp. Well, I've tried out switching between different perspectives to write the story, so tell me how you like it. If a lot of people think I should stick with the style I used for the other chapters, then I'll switch back: 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The darkness slowly draws me in as the last of my senses slowly siphon out of my body. Is this what it feels like to die? My whole body begins to feel numb and I can't even see anything. If I was missing a limb right now, I doubt that I'd notice a difference.

Does everyone go through this just before death, humans and reploids alike? There's nothing I can do to stop this now, I suppose that I can say I have no real regrets. There's nothing here, no sound, no light, and the only thing real to me is my thoughts right now. 

Should I try to fight this? Is there any way to fight this? There's nothing left for me here anyway. I'm sure that everyone will be alright without me. Perhaps they'll even be better off. I was just a replacement for Ciel, but she's back now and there's nothing I can do. One hundred years ago, when reploid outlived their use, they become unnecessary, defect, useless. When that happens, they are just left out to die.

That was how I met Ciel. She saved me after I was deemed useless and took care of me. I was ready to die back then and I'm ready to die now. The only thing I want right now is to be able to see everyone one more time… 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"… Prairie… wake up…" I slowly become aware of the pain in my body and all my other senses return to me in a flash. I'm lying onto something soft and very flexible, most likely a bed. I snap my eyes open and wish that I didn't when the bright light temporarily blinds me.

"You're alright!" I feel arms circling around me and my eyes slowly adjust to the lights and I see Ciel's the person hugging me. I look around and notice that Vent, Aile, and Rose are there as well. "We thought we lost you for a moment there."

My head really hurts right now and I clutch it in pain. Ciel backs away for a moment and looks at me with concern written all over her face. "It's alright. I'm just feeling a little bit feverish…" I look at Rose. "How did I get here?"

"After Zero and the others came back, I tried to contact you but I was worried since you didn't reply. Zero found you unconscious and carried you back here." I nod and notice something very sticky on my clothing. I look down the below my blanket and notice that I'm still wearing the same clothing I wore back then and it was soaked in blood.

The others notice me looking as well and Ciel pulls out some new clothes for me. "You know where the changing room is. Can you move?" I move my legs a bit under the blanket and test out my arms as well. I give out a weak nod and Ciel gives me the change of clothes.

I slowly lift myself up and move to the changing room and quickly throw off the bloodstained coat and any other clothing that had bloodstains. Blood doesn't wash off no matter how hard anyone tries, so it's best if I burn it later. After finishing, I open the door again and find the others waiting for me.

Rose clears her throat for a moment. "There were some strange changes found in your system that we couldn't fix. It is best if you remain in your room and rest until we find a cure." Changes? Does that mean that Shademan did succeed in controlling me? I feel fine right now other than a minor headache, so probably not.

"I'm going to my room." The others leave the room and I walk to mine which was almost next door. I sit down on the bed to think. Now I can't help anyone, I just have to remain in my room and wait until they find a way to cure me of whatever irregularities there are. What if there is no way to cure me? Will I have to remain useless everyday?

Wait, I think I hear something… I stop thinking for a moment and hear a thumping sound. I turn to the door last after looking around the room. "You can come in." The door opens and I catch a glimpse of brown hair first and then Aile becomes fully visible.

"Prairie, I was just wondering if you could tell me…" Aile pauses for a moment, probably thinking that the question she's about to ask will offend me or something. "What happened back there?"

They didn't know yet? Well, I suppose that they didn't feel that it was appropriate to ask questions while I was on the edge of dying. Should I tell her the truth and let her worry? I guess there's no point in lying, besides, I can't make up an excuse for that situation anyways. How often do you find someone lying on the streets in a pool of blood?

"Shademan attacked Innerpeace while all of you were away." That's all I'm going to say. She doesn't need to know what he did to the civilians or me. Besides, it can't be that hard to figure out. Wait, what happened to everyone else? "Did anyone else survive besides me?" 

"The others who were attacked have all been buried in Innerpeace. I was worried that the same would happen to you." Why didn't I die along with the others? I feel like there's something important that I'm forgetting, but what could that be?

"I'm alright now, there's no need for you to worry about it anymore." Well, I think I'm alright. Shademan's gone and I'm still here, why would there be any reason to worry?

Aile mutters something that I can't pick up. "What was that?"

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me." Oh, that's what she's worried about. Why does everyone feel that the world is on their shoulders all the time? Am I really that weak?

"It's my fault for not… UGH!" I cringe for a moment and Aile puts her hands on my shoulders to steady me. "It's nothing. I just felt a bit of pain in my neck for a second back there. I need to rest for a while. You should go and take care of more important things." 

Aile looks at me for a moment to make sure I'm okay and then she leaves the room reluctantly. After she leaves, I lie down on the bed and I pull the blanket over while tossing and turning. My neck is burning for some reason… What's going on?

I feel my consciousness slipping away and a gust finds its way to the room through the door that Aile left open. The sound of the wind becomes louder and louder, until that's all I could hear. I feel cold sweat on my face as I try to keep my eyes open. The sound of the wind changes and it slowly becomes almost like a voice.

_"I may still have a use for you, so I'll let you live for now."…_

**-----------POV Shift: Ciel----------- **

Now that Prairie's resting, I guess I'll just have to fill in for her until she gets better. What Rose said about Prairie's condition bothers me, though. Is she really alright now? Knowing her, she probably wouldn't admit it though.

I guess we'll just to keep an eye on her to make sure she's alright, there shouldn't really be any prob- I fall down on my knees as I bump to something. I slowly rub it to make the pain go away.

"Ciel, are you alright? I wasn't watching where I was going." I bumped into someone? I look up and see Aile. What's she doing here? I thought her room was in the other direction. Hey, the door to mine and Prairie's room is open right now.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't watching where I was going either." I stand up and brush the dirt off my skirt. "You visited Prairie?" Aile replies with a nod. Well, that explains why she's here. I didn't expect to bump into anyone here. "Was Prairie alright when you visited her?"

"She seemed okay…" That's good to hear. "…at first." I take that back. Aile pauses for a while. "Just before I was planning to leave, she…" Aile starts moving her hands around, probably trying to find the right words to explain. "…well, she just suddenly cringed for a bit and said there was a small pain in her neck. I have a feeling that it bothered her more than she let on."

"I'll go check on her. You don't need to worry about this any more than you have to." Aile opens her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. "You won't be able to get Prairie to admit there's anything wrong if she thinks it'll be a burden to anyone. If you come along, it'll be harder to get her to admit anything."

Aile thinks about what I said for a moment and nods. "Tell me if you find out anything." She walks past me to wherever she was going before she bumped into me. Well, I guess I should go in now and check on Prairie. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Ciel and Prairie's Room**

The lights are off… I put my hand on the wall and start moving it until I find the switch. I open it to get a good look around. Prairie's asleep right now in that bundle of bed sheets over there, so I shouldn't question her and wait until she's awake.

Where's that book I was reading? I move some piles of finished paperwork aside until the cover of a novel appears on the bottom of the pile. Wow, I haven't read for fun in weeks, but I suppose there's nothing better to do.

I flip through the pages until I find the bookmarked one and settle down on the armchair that's rarely used. I prefer to sit on stools or wooden chairs when I'm working. I flip open the book and begin reading.

That's strange… I don't remember any characters with these names… Wait a second, what the heck is going on right now? I let out a sigh and flip back to the first page. I suppose I'll have to start from the beginning. I can't remember a thing about this novel right now. 

After about five minutes, I finally remember what the story was about. I flip back to the bookmarked page after my memories refreshed and I start reading. This is pretty relaxing. Maybe I should do this a bit more often.

After twenty minutes of action packed page flipping, I hear a slight groaning sound. Wow, my brain even creates noises based on what I'm reading. The groaning is followed by some banging sounds. That's weird, there's nothing about banging sounds on this page.

I put the book down and realize that the sound is Prairie tossing and turning on the bed. She must be having a really bad nightmare right now… I go up to the bed and put my hand on the blankets over Prairie. I look at the pillow and noticed that it's soaked with sweat. This doesn't seem like a normal nightmare.

"Prairie, wake up!" I try shaking her, but to no avail. She starts turning violently and I remove my hands so that I don't get pulled down. She turns her back to me and lets out another groan and completely stops moving. Is she still asleep?

"Prairie?" She doesn't respond and I try to shake her. Her head turns to me and I immediately back away. Her eyes are open but her iris changed into a pale sickly white color. Is she even awake?

"Kill… everything…" Prairie's body makes a sudden movement and she jumps up. Prairie goes to the desk and gets a nearby dagger. Oh, this really isn't good. I go over to the door and try to punch in the password to open it. Let's see, 5-0- OW!

The dagger is lodged into the panel and the electricity shocks my gloved hand. I bang on the door but it doesn't open. Prairie grabs onto the dagger again and I slowly back away. Has she gone completely insane somehow?

"Prairie, stop this." Prairie doesn't show any signs of paying attention and she moves forward. I don't have any weapons with me. I'll just have to try and hold her off until she gets back to her senses. Come on, Prairie. I know that you're still in there.

Prairie prepares to slash and I kick a nearby stool in her direction. The stool gets in her way and she trips. I cringe as the dagger creates a small cut beneath my shoulder and I move to the other side of the room.

Prairie stands up again and walks forward. I move backwards, not taking my eyes off her or else I might get killed. I bump into something and I quickly glimpse backwards to find that I've just cornered myself. Oh, this is just great. There has to be something that I can use… 

Prairie lunges at me with a downward stab and I quickly hold onto the novel I was reading with both hands that I left on the armchair. The book shields me from the tip of the blade as it pierces through the cover. Prairie starts pushing downwards as the tip of the blade gets closer to my face. I let go and duck as pages fly in the air.

There has to be something that I can use…. My hands desperately search around for something, anything, that would help, but there's nothing. Prairie rips the pages out of the dagger and prepares to strike again. Is this really going to be the end for me?

There's nothing I can do now. I've cornered myself. I've never expected this to happen. I'm sorry, Zero. The blade touches my neck and I scream in pain just from the contact of the cold metal touching my skin. I look at Prairie and notice that she's shaking. Is she hesitating?

"Prairie…" The blade leaves my neck and drops onto the ground. Prairie's eyes start to change back to their blue color and she continues shaking. 

"I'm sorry… Ciel…" Prairie's eyes close and she falls forward. I grab onto her and to support her up again. Things are going to be okay now… Prairie…

**-----------POV Shift: Normal----------- **

**Medic Wing**

"Is she going to be alright, Rose?" Vent looks at the unconscious Guardian Commander after Rose injects her with a needle.

"We were able to develop a temporary antidote that should make Prairie alright for the moment. All we can do now is wait." Prairie slowly opens her eyes and she immediately sits back up.

"It's only been a few hours and I'm back here already." Prairie lets out a sigh and looks around to see Ciel, Vent, Aile, and Zero all sitting down on different chairs looking at her. Rose is busy putting away a needle and other medical supplies. "Maybe I shouldn't be here after all. It's going to be dangerous for all of you if I'm around."

"We managed to take a closer look at what was wrong while you were unconscious." Ciel went to the screen and points at a diagram of Prairie's body. "Your neck is where Shademan bit you, and he seemed to have infected you with something. From time to time, that infection will spread throughout the rest of your body, with sharp pain as the first sign that it's happening. We managed to seal off the infection in the neck for now, so you should be fine." Ciel cringes and grasps her shoulder in pain.

"You shouldn't push yourself, Ciel." Zero helps Ciel onto the chair and Prairie notices a small band-aid on Ciel's neck. _I remember now! I was the one who attacked her. Why are they still treating me like a friend even when I lost control like that?_

"Do you feel funny?" Rose looks at Prairie worriedly. "If there's anything wrong, please tell me and I'll try to make things better." Prairie nods and sits up on the bed. She inspects herself for any injuries and to check on things.

"I feel alright now. I'll tell you if anything comes up." Prairie pauses for a moment. "Is it safe for me to resume the role of Commander?"

"There shouldn't be anything wrong with that, but you shouldn't push yourself… just in case." Rose adds the last part in as an afterthought and Prairie begins getting up.

"Just in case what?" Vent looks at Rose, then at Prairie, then back at Rose. "Should we be worried about anything?"

"This is the first time that I've had to work on anything like this, so I'm not sure if there are any harmful effects of the antidote. Even if you were completely fine, Prairie, I'd advise you to not push yourself anyways."

"I see that everything's fine here. I told X that I'd meet him right now." Zero leaves the room and the others slowly start to follow him. Prairie and Ciel leave together and head for their room.

"You don't need to feel bad about what happened." Ciel starts off a conversation as they walk in the hallway.

"I didn't say anything."

"Well, it's obvious that you're thinking that. The important thing is you managed to stop yourself at the end, and nobody got seriously injured. Rose is right. you do need to stop pushing yourself so hard."

"That's a lot coming from you. You push yourself harder than the people who are battling." Ciel shrugs at Prairie's comment.

"I guess that's true, but I usually get Zero to help me out when I need to." Ciel enters the room and Prairie follows her. "This place would fall apart without you, so everyone's naturally worried. I'm always here to help if that's what you need." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Are we ready to strike yet, Iris?" The hologram of Model W sits on a throne as a brown haired reploid starts typing at a computer. 

"Almost, Master W," Model W nods and Phantom enters the room.

"Prometheus is ready to see you as requested." Prometheus appears and he bows down to Model W.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Model W replies by tossing two pictures on the ground in front of Prometheus. Prometheus looks at the pictures and sees that one is Vent while the other is Aile. "I don't quite follow what you're trying to show me with this."

"I've noticed that Pandora hasn't been acting quite like herself lately. She hasn't been as efficient doing some simple tasks that I assigned her. That's why I want you to get one of the Chosen Ones and bring them here as a replacement."

"You want to replace Pandora with one of them!? What makes you think that they'll be any better?" Prometheus looks at the Chosen Ones with disgust. "They've been trying to stop us ever since they first came in contact with the biometals. I doubt they'll just willingly join us like that."

"That's why I want you to make them join us. If they prove to be a lost cause, then finish them. If they don't, we'll have insurance in case Pandora turns out to be defective. Either way, it's a win-win situation."

Prometheus stares at the picture again. "How am I supposed to do this with Pandora as my partner? She'll get suspicious if I tell her that I want to capture the two Chosen Ones."

"Just say that I ordered you to capture them for a specific purpose." Model W stops for a moment to think. "Actually, it'll be better if you only get one of them. If those two are together, then they'll have hope. If they have hope, they're useless to me."

"Which one do you want me to get?"

"It doesn't matter. Choose whichever one you want." Prometheus looks at the Chosen Ones to make his decision. In the end, he puts his scythe through the picture of Aile.

"Since I want to finish off Vent personally, I'll just go for her." Model W nods and Prometheus exit the room.

"Oh, by the way, Prometheus…" Prometheus turns to Model W again. "Pandora isn't the only one who's been failing lately. Fail me again and I won't hesitate to remove you permanently."

"That's fine with me since I don't plan on losing to them anytime soon." Prometheus exits the room and Iris turns to Model W.

"The preparations are complete. Everything's ready on your command." 

**-----------POV Shift: Pandora----------- **

The more I look around, the more this place seems like a prison to me. I guess I haven't really noticed this before because I wouldn't know anything thing to compare it with. I'm starting to wonder exactly what I am in this. Am I just a disposable pawn with no purpose other than to kill?

Lately, killing on command hasn't been as easy when Model W found stray reploids or humanoids. Prometheus still revels in violence, probably because that's the only thing that feels real to him now. Model W now has Phantom and that female reploid to do his bidding, which means he's free to readily toss Prometheus and me away.

I'm living on the edge of life and death. If I fail, I move closer to death and if I succeed, then I stay alive. Has all of this been predetermined by fate before I was born? When I was with the Guardians, I actually felt free from Model W's control.

My life wasn't in danger because of failure every day, and I was no longer a tool that had to prove its effectiveness. Now, I'm back here again, and I doubt that I have anywhere else to go. I'll just have to keep fighting for Model W, and hope that one day in the far future. I'll be able to earn my freedom once he gets what he wants. 

Would I even get freedom if that happened or will he just eliminate me? If he does achieve his ultimate goal, then I'll be obsolete, unnecessary. How far do I have left to live? Is this life even worth living in anymore?

I don't get the same thrill of fighting that Prometheus does. He revels in the pain of others, and feeling pain is the price to pay for that. To him, that's what life is all about. What if that isn't what life is about for me?

Will I have to be stuck here all my life? If I attempt to escape, then I'll no doubt be terminated. I fought for Model W at first because I believed that the humanoids, reploids, and humans alike were all fools fighting in a cycle of power and Model W would be able to open their eyes.

Still, after being with the Guardians. I'm not sure about that anymore… Wait, is Prometheus coming back? I listen to the footsteps and Prometheus sure enough walks back in. "What did Model W want to talk to you about?"

"He wanted me to tell you that we'll be targeting the Chosen Ones and bringing them back." That's what he wanted to talk to Prometheus about? Why didn't he just send me with him as well? I guess it doesn't make a difference in the end.

"Which one are we talking about? Vent or Aile?"

"He said either would work, but I prefer to target Aile. That way, we'll be able to finish Vent off once and for all." Figures that he'd want to kill him, but I doubt that's happening any time soon. 

"Why does Model W want to capture one of them?"

"I'm not sure. I don't concern myself with small details like that. Get all your equipment ready, we'll be leaving soon." Prometheus exits the room, leaving me behind. What could Model W possibly want with her?

That's one question that perhaps I won't know until we actually capture them. One thing I do know for sure is that if I fail, then I'll seem more defective to them and I'll become all the more disposable. All I can do now is follow orders, one after the other. 

**-----------POV Shift???----------- **

**Innerpeace**

Things are becoming harder and harder for the Guardians. Sooner or later, they'll be wiped out trying to fight for a lost cause. I watched Shademan attack Prairie and bite her. Perhaps I could have stepped in and helped, but in the end, I didn't.

I walk a different path than them. It's something that they'll never be able to understand. The Guardians continue to fight and defend the inhabitants of Innerpeace, even if the inhabitants aren't worth protecting.

What they're trying to achieve is nothing but a fairy tale. There is and will never be a happily ever after for the world now. The humans built reploids in search of more power, and that search lead to conflict and wars.

The Guardians want to make this a world free of conflict and protect the inhabitants of Innerpeace. Those are two completely contradictory goals. It's like wanting to be both hot and cold at the same time. If humans, reploids, or humanoids continue to exist, someone will always seek power and that will always lead to conflicts.

The earth has been around for a long time, but in the short time that humans have inhabited it, the earth became a shadow of its former self. Humankind has become a dead race. They won't be going anywhere and will ultimately lead to their own demise no matter who tries to stop it.

If history isn't a perfect example of this, then I don't know what is. Sigma, Dr. Weil, and all those others who have came so close to taking over the world were seeking power. They just happened to have the means to do that. In the end, the only thing that we seek is power. Some think that they do it to protect those around them, and others seek power to rule. The answer to any conflict is always power, and that's why earth has become a dead planet.

I won't try to fool myself. I seek power just like everyone else, whether they admit it or not. I'm not even sure why I seek power anymore. Right now, it's nothing but a base instinct. It's the only way for me to survive and the only way to feel complete. Everyone has the need for power and the Guardians can't change that no matter how hard they try to fight for peace.

I don't have the same illusions as them about peace, and that's why I don't want to be involved with them. Even if they do manage to stop Model W and Shademan, there will always be more people seeking power and some will become a threat.

That's why all I do is watch them struggle for their unachievable dreams. Why do they continue fighting? Can't they tell that it just isn't worth it? To find the answers to that, I'll just have to keep watching and maybe one day I'll understand, or perhaps they'll finally understand that what they wish for is impossible.

Watching… that's all I plan to do. I won't throw myself into this mess by trying to help them. No matter how much my instincts tell me to help them, I'll just watch. This is all I can do to survive now. The world is struggling just to stay alive in this war zone. There used to be a perfect cycle of life before the humans came, but now, this world has become… defective. 

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Well, it feels good to be writing again. I'll try to get this story back on track in the next week or so. Anyways, remember to R&R if all of you are still looking at this story.


	33. Chapter 32: Infiltration

Alright, before I show you all the next chapter, I'll reply to all the reviews just to show that I'm paying attention to them (which is more than an understatement)

SpartanCommander: Well, that is an interesting idea, but I'm afraid I don't know how that would work with the Robot Masters part, and I already have some other plans for now. That's a good point about how the robots are pretty much tools, so I'll be sure to include that to Shademan's motives.

MegaHog14: Well, it's kind of new for me to write in first person like this, so there'll be a bit more mistakes. I'll try to keep my eye out for them if there's anything wrong. It's harder for me to write like this, but it's also more fun.

ZEROfromtheOTHERDIMENSION: Don't worry about this story going dead. I first decided to write to try a crack pairing (FortexPrairie) and I'm not gonna quit until I finish that pairing. Besides, I really don't like unfinished fanfics, so you won't need to worry about that.

Mocha: Patience is one of the things I have when it comes to work like this and I keep getting ideas whether it's at school or at home, so I don't think my conscience would want me to abandon this fic.

Hasabusa: Not much to say here, except thanks. I'm glad that you like my fic, and that's one thing that keeps me writing.

Alright, without further ado, here's the next chapter for all of you to enjoy:

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So… bored… There's nothing to do around here. Maybe I should go and find X. Oh wait, he's at the library. I may be bored, but I'm not desperate. What to do now? I'll just have to look for Ciel then.

Right now, she should be in her room. She does most of her work there anyways. What should I tell her after I get there? She's probably busy doing work. She really needs to lighten up a bit. Maybe I should help her out a bit. I don't understand most of the things that she works with, but I'm sure two people will be better than one.

Let's see… Her room is past the cafeteria, medic wing, and the Commander's Room. I better start moving before I die of boredom from being stuck in my room. Wait, I think I saw someone wearing pink back there in the cafeteria. I better back up for a bit.

"Ciel, is that you?" All I can see is the back of someone wearing pink crouched down on the floor doing something. Yup, that's definitely her. What's she doing over here anyways? She doesn't usually come here unless the coffee dispenser isn't working.

"Oh hi…" Ciel stops what she's doing and pauses for a moment as she looks at me as if trying to place who I was. "…Zero." Why did it take her so long to say my name? She looks strange…

"Ciel, have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

"Of course I have. Why would you ask that?"

"You're just acting a bit strange." Wait, what's in her hands? I just saw her put a piece of round and spherical metal behind her back. Is she trying to hide something? "Anyways, what are you working on?"

"No, I can do this by myself." Ciel looks at me for a moment, expecting me to leave. Should I just walk out right now? She doesn't seem to be alright, but I don't want to push it. There's nothing scarier than an angry female especially if I'm the target. I better go and find out what's wrong some other way.

I quickly exit the cafeteria and head for Ciel's room. If Ciel's been acting strange lately, then Prairie should be the first to know. Still… she didn't exactly look like she hadn't slept well. Last time, she had heavy bags under her eyes and still managed to recognize me at first glance.

I hope she isn't sick. If she is, then I don't know what I can do to help her. I'll just have to hope there's some simple explanation that will make everything alright. Guess I'm already here.

I take a deep breath and open the door. "Hey, Prairie, I was wondering if you noticed anything strange about Ciel lately."

"Why would you ask that?" Wait, that voice isn't Prairie, that's… How's that possible? I thought that this was the only hallway connecting this room to the cafeteria. "Why would there be anything strange about me lately, Zero?"

I scan the room and sure enough, I find Ciel with Prairie as well. That would mean she had to have teleported here to get past me, but why would she spend the trouble of punching in the co-ordinates to her own room just to avoid walking a few meters? Unless…

"Get everyone out of the cafeteria's area immediately!" I hear my voice shout out perhaps a bit louder than I planned, but I think that got the message across. Prairie presses a button and a microphone appears on the desk.

"All Guardians who are close to the cafeteria move as far away from there as possible." Just as she finishes saying that, there's a huge explosion that blasts metal debris everywhere.

Smoke enters the room and the alarm starts blaring. _"Intruder detected! Intruder detected! All Guardians please evacuate the airship from the nearest exit!"_ The automatic sprinklers turn on as the three of us get soaked with water.

"Zero, what's happening?" Ciel coughs as she speaks. There's too much smoke here, I can barely tell where she is.

"Ciel, get out of her now! I'll explain everything later." Through the smoke, I can make out the motion of her and Prairie nodding. They start running towards the exit as the flames begin to die down.

Their footsteps become fainter and fainter until I can't hear them anymore. I grab the Z-Buster from my utility belt and start charging towards the cafeteria. I just hope that everyone got out in time.

**-----------POV Shift: Vent----------- **

**Vent and Aile's Room**

Where's Aile right now? She went outside for a moment to get something, and now this happens! Did she escape already? The flames are slowly dying down, but what if Aile's injured? I have to find her and fast. Where did she say she was going again?

I can't remember what she said… I'll just have to search every room in here. I run past the hallway without bothering to look in the room of some other Guardians. Why would she be inside there?

I open the door to the Commander's Room and peer inside. "Aile!? Are you there?" I manage to shout in between coughs and wait for an answer. Well, I guess not then. I keep going into the other room that she would have possibly gone to and started shouting out her name waiting for an answer. The fumes are beginning to get almost unbearable. I put my hand over my mouth to try and stop coughing and it manages to work to some degree.

There's no sign of her here, although a bomb just exploded, so maybe I just can't see it right now. Come on, Aile, where are you? I open the door to the training room and hear movement. There she is!

"Aile!" The footsteps begin to grow more distant and I follow it into a large empty room. This is the place that Aile and I trained with Zero. The sprinklers die down as the flames disappear.

"Figures you'd be the one stupid enough to stay inside during an infiltration." The figure starts to get closer and everything becomes more visible. A green cape and a light green scythe become visible. Oh no, please don't tell me… "You weren't the one I'm after, but I'll gladly tear you apart all the same." Yup, that's definitely Prometheus.

"I defeated you before and I'll do it again!" I reach into my pocket to take out biometals X and Z, the ones that I always use when I start a fight with him.

"I don't remember the last time that you beat me by yourself. This time, your friend won't be able to help you." Does he mean Aile? What does he mean by she won't be able to help me. Unless…

"What did you do to her!?" I demand, perhaps my voice a bit louder than necessary. If he harmed her in any way, then I'll kill him. Prometheus just smirks at my demand.

"I don't know where she is. If I did, I'd be out of here already. I'm just saying that the door's locked and no one will be able to come in and interrupt us three." Wait a minute did he just say three? Does that mean Pandora's…

"It's been a while, Vent." I turn my head and see white and blue armor. I knew it.

"Pandora, why are you doing this? I thought that you didn't want to fight anymore!" Pandora looks at me with cold eyes.

"I'm just following orders."

"Alright then, it's time that I put you out of our plans permanently." Prometheus twirls his scythe and charges forward.

**-----------POV Shift: Zero----------- **

**Cafeteria**

I enter the room and see Ciel's face, but this time, I know that she's an imposter. I raise my buster. "Who are you and what do you want?" I keep my finger on the trigger and wait for her to answer my questions, but she doesn't speak for a moment.

"The two of us are alone, Zero. I've completed my main objective, now it's time for me to annihilate you." I guess there's no choice but for me to defend myself. I pull the trigger on the Z-Buster, but the shot misses her by two whole meters.

What's going on!? Why can't I aim properly!? I fire again, but I see the image of the shot piercing Ciel just before I pull the trigger, causing me to flinch. Is this why I can't aim properly? Even though I know she's an imposter, the image of seeing Ciel get hurt will still haunt me.

"Stop hiding behind that disguise!" I fire a few more times, but all the shots miss.

"If you're having trouble trying to fight now, then I won't need to show you my true form." The imposter lunges at me and her hands become claws. I jump back to avoid the attack, but the attack manages to scratch me.

Three claws make contact with my armor and tear the outer layer apart, leaving a mark behind. This is going to be tougher than I first thought. I can't fight her if she looks like Ciel and I can't keep running away forever. There has to be a way for me to get around all of that.

If only I had some way of revealing what she truly looked like, or at least make her look like someone easier to hit. Wait, that's it! I dodge another attack and press a few buttons on my helmet. My vision begins to change as I activate my heat sensors.

Now, I only see the figure of the imposter and not the actual face. It should be easier to fight this way. I jump away again and aim my buster at her. I fire and hear the shot make contact with her.

She lets out a scream and I change back to my normal vision as she falls down to the ground unconscious. Electricity shoots through the imposter's body and I draw my Z-Saber. I should take her in for questioning to find out whoever she works for is up to. Somehow, I get the feeling that Model W was the one that sent her.

Wait… she's becoming more unstable. She's probably changing back to her true form. I put the Z-Saber next to her throat in case she tries anything when she transforms back. Well, I guess it could be a he, but only time will tell.

Ciel's blond hair becomes brown and long and a red cap forms on her head. Wait, she looks familiar for some reason. I feel like I met her somewhere before. Why's my body trembling? My hand begins to move by itself and the Z-Saber leaves her throat. She starts stirring and then she stands up.

Why does she seem so familiar and why is my body not responding to my commands!? She looks at me with eyes that seem so familiar and yet distant enough so I can't remember where I've seen them before. "I'll make you pay for what you did to my brother two hundred years ago, Zero!"

That voice… now I remember! It can't be can it? It has to be another illusion, but how can she change to another form while she's unconscious. "Is it really you… Iris?

**-----------POV Shift: Normal----------- **

**Outside Guardian HQ**

"Let's see, that should be everyone in this squad." Prairie stops counting and looks at X and the former Guardians of Neo Arcadia. "Zero, Vent, and Aile are still missing. I know that Zero's back there and chances are the same goes fro Vent and Aile."

"We'll find them." X grabs onto Fefnir and transforsm into his Falcon Form while Harpuia grabs onto Leviathan. The four of them leave the ground and head toward the flying fortress.

Ciel rushes in next to Prairie. "Everyone's present in the other squads. I just gave Rose and the others on the medical relief team to check them for any injuries. Did Zero come back yet?" Ciel looks around and for the crimson reploid.

"I just sent Leviathan, Harpuia, Fefnir and X back in there to find him. Vent and Aile are missing as well."

"I'm going to help them as well." Ciel rushes forward, but Prairie stops her.

"We'd just get in the way. If there was anything that we could do, then I'd have gone with them myself. Besides, we have no way of reaching the airship from here." Ciel sighs in defeat.

"What are we suppose to do now?"

"I guess we just have to…" Prairie looks somewhere else for a moment. "DUCK!" She tackles Ciel down to the ground as a blast of energy narrowly misses them. "It looks like we have company."

Mechaniloids rise from the ground as the Guardians open fire on them. A few mechaniloids fall down and some Guardian soldiers get injured in the crossfire. Then, all the mechaniloids just stop.

"That's enough for now." Phantom teleports in and the mechaniloids move out of the way to create a path for him. "Seeing as how there's no one here that will pose much of a threat, I'll just drop this off and leave."

Phantom puts a disk like device on the ground and presses a button. A shockwave fans out from the device and all the reploids in the area except Phantom cover their eyes and starts screaming. "I can't see anything! My light sensors aren't working properly."

"Prairie, are you alright?" Ciel shakes Prairie and Prairie quiets down a bit and uncovers her eyes. "Can you see anything?"

"There's only static now. My light senses have been completely damaged to even tell black and white apart." Phantom looks around, happy with the results and turn to the mechaniloids.

"Open fire on them. I'm leaving for now." The mechaniloids point their guns at the blinded Guardian soldiers as Ciel looks up at them.

_I'm the only one left that can see them now now. Come on, Zero. Where are you?_ Ciel reaches into her pockets to pull out a pistol and looks at the others. "Try to fire depending on the sounds that you hear. Everyone nods and they clumsily reach for their weapons.

Prairie rubs her eyes and then pulls out a weapon as well. _If only there was something I could do, then everyone wouldn't be risking their lives everyday. Despite Ciel's help, there's no way we can win this one. I want to be able to not have to rely on others just to survive anymore. I want to be able to protect them instead of the other way around._

**-----------POV Shift: Vent----------- **

"Too slow!" I slash with my ZX Saber, but I only managed to scratch Prometheus's green cape. Electricity shoots out from the ground underneath me and become chains as they wrap around my legs.

"DIE!" I look up just in time to see a green scythe as Prometheus dives down at me. I try to run as I look in Pandora's direction to see her staff pointed to the ground keeping me here.

Just before Prometheus attacks, the electricity disappears and I manage to narrowly avoid the blunt force of his attack. "AHHH!" I let out a scream as the scythe makes contact with my helmet.

Volts of electricity run through my body. I need to switch back… now! I deactivate the biometals to switch back and shakily stand up. Prometheus looks over in Pandora's direction. "Why did you stop the attack? We could have finished him back then."

"Model W didn't say killing him was our main objective. If you were faster, then maybe you wouldn't have missed." Promethesu scowls and looks at me. I need to switch to something… anything… and quick!

"Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter. You aren't a genius, but I'm sure even you can figure out you can't defeat us this time."

"Don't be so sure… about that." I stand up and grab Model X. "Rock-on!" My armor changes and my hand becomes a buster. I aim the attack at Prometheus.

"If you think you're going to do any better just because you changed colors and weapons, then bring it on!" Prometheus raises his scythe and flames start to surround it. Soon, the green blade becomes a burning blade of fire.

"Give up, Vent…" I quickly turn to find Pandora behind me. How did she get there? A large block of ice appears in front of her as she slams her staff onto the ground. She hits it with her staff and sends it flying towards me. I can't keep getting hit!

I run at the ice and quickly use it to push myself up. I point my buster at Pandora and prepare to shoot. Do I really have to shoot her? I'm sure that the fact the electricity stopped imprisoning me right before Prometheus attacked wasn't an accident, but what did that mean? If she isn't an enemy, then why is she fighting me?

Why is she working with Prometheus!? _"I'm just following orders."_ That's when I make my decision. I stop charging my buster and fire a weak energy blast at Pandora. She easily deflects it with her staff.

"Behind you." I turn to see Prometheus with his blade raised. Prometheus slashes at my chest, slamming me down and he walks forward. I can barely move anymore. I reached my limit a long time ago. I don't even know how I managed to keep moving for as far as I did. My whole body's feeling the heat from Prometheus's attack. If I keep trying to fight, then I'll eventually die…

"Alright, Vent. I'm getting sick of you always getting in the way." I have to keep moving. I still haven't reverted back to my human form, so I have to have some kind of energy left. If that's true, how come I can't move legs or stand up. I try to crawl away, but something heavy slams down onto my back, forcing the breath out of my body. I turn to find that was Prometheus's foot.

"You're not going anywhere, Vent." Prometheus points his scythe at my throat as the flames subside and it reverts back into its plasma form. I can feel the cool beads of sweat running down my face and hear the humming of the curved blade.

"Wait, didn't you say that Model W could use one of the chosen ones?" Pandora floats closer to the two of us and turns to Prometheus. "Why not just take him with us? It will save a lot of trouble."

"He'll just be a waste of time. He won't fit into Model W's plans." Prometheus moves the blade farther away from me as he turns to talk to Pandora. I still can't escape yet. I just need a little bit more power…

"You've defeated him, isn't that enough already!? I thought you just wanted to prove that you were stronger than him." Pandora raises her voice as she begins to shout. Is she trying to defend me? "Why aren't you happy yet?"

"I never said I wasn't happy. I'd just be happier if I know for a fact that I sent him to the next dimension permanently." The weight of Prometheus's foot on my back becomes a bit lighter as he moves to argue with Pandora. Now's my chance!

I quickly turn and fire a charged buster shot at Prometheus's face. "AH! I'll make you pay for that, brat!" I take the chance to put some distance between me and him as he wipes his face. The skull on his helmet is now jagged and cracked.

If that's all a fully charged shot sent directly to his face will do right now, then there's no way I can fight them with the little energy that I have left. Wait, what's he up to now? Prometheus is putting away his scythe?

"I've had enough of playing around with you. This fight ends now!" Prometheus slams hand into the ground. Something's coming out under me! I quickly jump out of the way as a streak of fire almost hits me.

I avoid four more similar attacks and I struggle for breath. At least none of those attacks hit, but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up. Prometheus smirks at me. "Hey, Vent, look up."

Oh no… I look above me and find that the five fire pillars have transformed into five floating blue flames. Prometheus still has his hand on the ground. He's the one controlling them!

I have to run, but I can barely walk anymore… The five flames circle around me as Prometheus prepares to finish me off.

"First hit." Something hits me from behind as bits of armor break off, digging into my skin. If I didn't have any armor on, then that attack would have finished me. "Second hit." I cross my arms in a defensive position, but the flame charges straight at me and the armor protecting my arms crack and break off.

"Third hit." This attack hits the front part of my body armor, now leaving only my helmet and the armor protecting my legs. "Fourth hit." My helmet cracks and I revert back to my human form. Am I at my limit now? There's blood on the ground in front of me, I don't even know where it's from anymore.

Every part of my body hurts so much now. The last falem increases in size and Prometheus closes his fingers into a fist. "Final hit!" There's nothing I can do to stop this now. I look behind me to see a wall.

I guess I'm at a dead end now, although I doubt I could run away even if I wasn't. The attack's getting closer to me. I look at Pandora and I notice she's raising her staff. Is she trying to save me?

"VENT!" The flame subsides, causing smoke to block my vision. Who was the one that saved me? I catch a glimpse of long blond hair and crimson armor. Is that Zero? No, the voice sounded too feminine. That means it had to be…

"AILE! Run away now, they're too dangerous for you to fight alone." The smoke clears and Aile looks at Pandora and Prometheus. She raises the ZX Saber and prepares to attack. Is she really planning to take on both of them?

"I guess it's a lucky day for me today. First, we get to defeat one Chosen One and then the other one comes to use right after." Prometheus looks at Aile. "We'll make this easy on the two of you. If you come with us right now, then we'll leave without harming anyone anymore than we already did."

What do they want with Aile? Wait, I remember Pandora and Prometheus talking about how Model W needed one of the Chosen Ones, but why did they choose Aile? I look to Aile as she reaches into her pockets for something.

Is that Model O!? "Rock-on!" Aile's armor becomes darker and the green saber becomes a bright violet color. Prometheus just looks at her amused.

"You think using that will help you defeat the two of us? This might turn out to be more interesting than I thought." Prometheus gets out a long metal rod and a curved blade appears at the end.

"I'll make the two of you pay, for what you did to Vent!"

"Someone's very violent today. Perhaps this was why Model W said that you had potential." I can barely remain conscious like this, but I have to make sure that Aile's alright.

"DIE!" Aile lunges at Prometheus and jumps up. Why's she trying to fight the two of them alone? Why isn't she just running away instead? Prometheus kicks off the ground to dive at Aile and he raises his green scythe.

The two of them bring their weapons down as green meets violet. Aile… please be okay. Wait, something's coming out of the ground beneath her! Electricity starts shooting out at Aile in the form of a serpent and catches her in between its jaws.

The white serpent keeps rising until its head slams into the roof. "AILE!" The serpent disappears and Aile plummets down to the ground followed by chunks of the roof. The rubble buries Aile when she lands and I try to reach out for her.

"You don't have to worry about her, she's still alive. Besides, we'd be in trouble if we killed her." I lift my head up to see Pandora floating in front of me. Is she going to finish off what Prometheus started?

I wait for her staff to pierce me, but she doesn't attack. She just turns to the rubble that Aile's buried in. White light begins to shine from it and the rock scatter to reveal Aile still in her OX form.

She's still alright! "Aile, if you keep fight, then you'll…" I try to stop her, but she just charges at the nearest target – Pandora. Aile grips onto the OX Saber with both her hands and she brings it down on towards Pandora's face. Pandora lifts her staff up to protect herself from the attack. I think I hear a cracking sound, is that Aile's OX Saber or Pandora's staff.

I take another look to find that Aile's overpowering Pandora. I haven't seen her like this since Giro's death or when she figured out that Serpent was the one who killed our parents. Two parts of Pandora's helmet de-attach and create a line of electricity above Aile.

Aile pushes herself out of the way using Pandora's staff just as the blue lightning slams down. Wait, something's above her. It's Prometheus! Prometheus slams down with his scythe, but Aile manages to deflect the attack with her saber. I didn't know that Aile was this powerful.

"Look out!" Prometheus turns and throws his green cape at Aile. Aile slashes through the flimsy material, but then Prometheus manages to catch her off guard. He slashes with his scythe, creating a wave of wind that pushes her to the wall. Ouch, that's gotta hurt.

"You don't have to keep fighting. Just give up and come with us." Pandora appears in front of Aile. Hurry, Aile… just run away. Aile stands up again as pieces of her armor start to crack and fall down. She can't keep fighting like this.

Even from here, I can tell she's having trouble just breathing after all of that. Using Model OX is pushing her past her limits. "I'm not going to be beat that easily!" Aile grabs onto her OX Saber and attempts to attack Pandora, but she teleports away before it could make contact.

"Very well, I'' just have to take you with us by force." Pandora's staff begins to glow and electric serpents shoot out.

"AILE, RUN!" Aile just stands there, ignoring me as her right hand begins to glow. She slams her hand down on the ground and light rays fan out. The electric snakes are vaporized and Pandora gets knocked down to the ground by the force of the attack. I don't believe it! Aile's winning!

"GAH!"

"Vent!" I slowly turn my head to find Prometheus with blood staining his scythe. When did he get behind me? The colors are beginning to drain from my vision. I can't remain conscious any longer.

"I'll ask you one last time. You can come with us, or he dies. If you think I'm bluffing, then I'll attack again, though I can't guarantee he'll be able to survive the next attack." I look at Aile as she looks at me then at Prometheus. "Return back to your human form, and then we'll talk."

"No, Aile, don't!" I try to stop her, but she reverts back to her human form despite my pleas. She walks forward and Prometheus slowly backs away. Pandora stands up again and gets out a communicator.

"We've completed the objective. We're requesting to return." A black portal appears behind Prometheus and he makes a path for Aile.

"Go inside and we'll be right behind you as well. If you do that properly, then I'll keep my end of the bargain and let your partner live." Aile's stepping closer to the portal. I try to reach for her and grab onto her legs.

"Aile… don't leave…" My voice is getting hoarse and I cough out some blood. Aile just looks at me for a moment. How pathetic do I look right now?

I'm sorry… Vent. I promise that we'll meet again." Aile enters the darkness and disappears from my sight. Prometheus sheaths his weapons and follows her. He turns to me one more time.

"Don't worry. You'll meet her again, although I can't guarantee that it'll be what you're expecting. I can't wait to see the look on your face when you find out that she decided that she's joined Model W." Prometheus exits as well and that left only Pandora.

"Don't try to look for her, Vent. I can guarantee you that it'll only bring you and everyone around you sorrow once you do find her." The three of them disappear. I have to… follow Aile and bring her back.

Why can't my legs move! The black portal closes as I try to reach into it with my hands. "AAIIILLLLEEE!" I shout until I can't shout anymore. My throat has become dry and my whole body's aching.

Please, Aile, stay alive. I promise that I'll find you no matter what it takes. You risked your life for me countless times so that's the least I could do in return now. Right now, my world is getting darker.

I don't know how much time I have left, or if any of these injuries can be healed, but if I'm alive, then I'll keep on looking. The world around me grows dark and I feel my body going numb, not just because of the fact that I've been beaten, but also because I failed you in the end. I'm sorry, Aile…

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Not sure how this one turned out, since this is my first fight scene written in first person. Anyways, the next battle will be Zero and Iris, though I'm not exactly sure what I'll do after that, since it won't be able to reach my goal of 5000 words per chapter. Anyways, remember to Read and Review!


	34. Chapter 33: Memories

Well, it's update time again, but before I do that, let's take a look at those comments:

ZBoi – Don't worry, some ZeroxCiel fluff will come soon, although not in this chapter, so sorry :(.

Mocha – Thanks. Well, that's all that I can say with that comment.

SpartainCommander – Actually not a bad idea… Just keep reading and find out where I'll go with this.

Hasabusa – Indeed they are, indeed they are.

Silver888 – It's a bunk bed with Aile on the bottom bunk and Vent at top bunk.

Someone – No, but I have my ways…

Alright, now that that's done. It's time for the new chapter!

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They say that when you're at the brink of death, your life flashes before your eyes. I hope that's not true, because that would mean I'm at the brink of death right now. Just staring at _her_ must have sparked something, because the missing pieces of my memories start to all slowly click together.

I remember everything now: Sigma, Colonel, Vile and the countless others. The most important thing was _her_. This time, it wasn't a dream or just a fragment of my memories. I remembered how I was forced to fight her. I remembered the result of that decision I made. What I don't remember, however, is why I chose to fight in the end. Why didn't I try to save her back then? 

"Are you going to fight or just stand there, Zero?" Iris looks at me without drawing any weapons. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. I won't force myself to kill her again, now that she's finally back. What if this is just another one of Weil's tricks? 

_What if it isn't?_ That's how another part of my mind replies to that question. If it isn't, then I'll have to fight her again. "Iris, I don't want to have to fight you." I wait, not exactly sure what I'm expecting. Did I really expect it to be that easy?

"I'm not going to attack if you don't fight back, Zero. I should warn you though, the longer you stay here, the harder it will be for your friends to survive." My friends? She must be talking about Ciel and the others! I make a bolt for the exit, jumping to avoid some of the desks in the way.

I reach out to push the doors open, but something whizzes past me and burns the door at the spot that I would have touched if I hadn't stopped moving. What was that? I turn to Iris to find out.

Along with her usual red and blue attire, she now has a golden bow that she's wielding with her right hand. The bow's about the length of her, though I can't really tell since she's holding it horizontally. The two ends of the bow are covered with black feathers and look like two black wings.

"If you try to leave this room, then I'll have no choice but to follow my orders and kill you." She puts her hand on middle curved part of the bow and starts pulling her fingers back. A blue bolt of energy forms where her hands were to create an arrow. I don't know how powerful that attack is, but I sure am not willing to get hit to find out.

With my hands, I grab onto a nearby desk and use all my strength to toss it between us as a shield. It bursts into pieces as soon as Iris let's go of the bowstring. Wait, the arrow's still coming towards me!

The collision with the table must have thrown it off course, because the arrow misses my most vital points and scrapes the back of my right hand. I flinch and look at my black and white gauntlet to realize that just making contact with that attack has torn a part of it off, revealing my skin.

Iris is getting ready to shoot again. I have to do something and quick! I duck under a desk and flip it to the side so that it could hide me. "You already tried that, Zero. That won't stop my attacks!" 

An arrow pierces through the table just centimeters away from my body. There has to be some way for me to keep her busy. If I keep this up, then Iris will get lucky sooner or later and kill me. Another arrow misses me. It's now or never!

I stand up and toss the table at Iris. She looks wide-eyed at the projectile flying towards her and fires the arrow from surprise at the wall. I have to subdue her now before I lose my chance! I jump towards the flying table and grab onto it, slamming it down at Iris's body. She lies down with her head out while the rest of her body is buried under the weight of the table and my own weight.

"Listen, Iris. I don't want to have to hurt you." I just hope I can talk some sense into her before she breaks free. I'm already having trouble keeping her down right now. A white light completely annihilates the table that's keeping me down and pushes me outward. Luckily, I manage to grab onto a nearby chair to land safely. That didn't exactly work out the way I had planned, what do I do now? 

"So, Zero, you don't want to fight me?" Iris lowers her bow. Did I manage to get through to her? "I'll offer you to join Model W. You can help bring in a new age free of the humans. We will be able to build a new era where reploids will be able to live in peace." 

"I don't know what kind of changes Model W made to you, but both humans and reploids will never be at peace if he's the one ruling." What she said almost sounded like the same words she said the last time right before she fought. Can she be doing this on her own free will? No, that's impossible. Iris may have been somewhat optimistic, but she'd never be blind enough to follow Model W willingly. At this, Iris just laughs.

"In a way, you're kind of a hypocrite. Why do you think you were created, Zero? Whether you like it or not, you are the God of Destruction. The fact that you even managed to beat Omega proves that." What does she mean by that? "You are a Robot Master, just like Forte, Shademan and the others. You were not created to protect humans. You were created to destroy. You're Zero, the ultimate killing machine!"

"Your words have told me all I needed to know." I draw my Z-Saber and ignite the green blade. "I can tell from what you said that you are no longer the Iris I once knew. I'm afraid I have no other choice left but to fight you." If Ciel and the others' lives are in danger, then I have no time left to lose.

"Finally decided to fight? You won't even be able to touch me with that blade." The next thing I know, Iris is right behind me with an arrow pointing at me. She lets go before I could react. The breath is forced out of my body from the blunt force of the arrow hitting my stomach. For some reason, the arrow wasn't sharp enough to pierce me.

So I guess that means Iris did have different type of attacks despite the fact that she had the same weapon. Wait, why do I even have the time to be thinking this? I'm flying through the air with an arrow pushing me against my stomach. I should be thinking of how to not get hurt while landing. I crash into a table from behind. I guess it's too late for that now.

The arrow's still moving. Okay, this is really starting to scare me now. If I hit the wall, will I just be pushed through it or will it actually stop my impact? There's a loud cracking sound and I turn to see that the table smashed into a wall. Pieces of wood and metal scatter and I fall down after making impact with the metal wall.

I can barely hold my Z-Saber up now because of Iris's first attack. If this keeps up, then I won't be able to survive for long. I stand up again and face Iris. She has another arrow pointed at me, but she didn't' fire while I was down.

"I'll give you a chance to reach your full power. Show me why you're the God of Destruction." She wants me to use my Ultimate Armor? That's what happened the last time we fought...

I can't afford to make the same mistake twice. "I'm not going to kill you again, Iris, but if Ciel and the others are in danger, then I will get past you to protect them!" My right hand is losing its grip on the Z-Saber. The attacks that she made are starting to take its toll on me. Just wait a bit longer, Ciel.

"You can't even wield your weapon properly. How do you expect to beat me in your condition?" She fires and I sway to the left in order to avoid the flying projectile. If I don't pull this off properly, then I'll die.

I drop the Z-Saber on the ground and jump into the air while changing the configuration for my Z-Buster. I just need to focus and aim. A white laser shoots out from the gun at Iris.

She dashes forward closer to me as I land. I put away the Z-Buster with my right hand while simultaneously pick up the Z-Saber again with my right. I spin around to strike her with my blade, but she grips onto my wrist with her right hand.

There's a clanging sound as she drops her bow. "I gave you a chance to fight at your full power, Zero, but this ends now!"

"AHH!" She lets go of my wrist after her hand impales my shoulder. She slowly takes it out to reveal that sharp and long nails have appeared, giving her left hand an almost claw-like appearance. I guess she isn't just long-ranged after all. I choke as she grabs onto my neck and lifts me up in the air.

"I don't want to have to hurt you, Iris." I grab onto her arm to try and loosen her grip on my neck, but to no avail.

"I don't think you're in any condition to be saying things like that." Wait for it… her free hand becomes a claw again. I just need to hold on a bit longer… Iris lifts her arm into the air to strike.

Now! I use my feet to push myself away from Iris and then there's a loud cling sound as the laser I fired earlier makes contact with the chain that supports the ceiling lights. Iris looks up in shock as the large circular lights fall down and trap her.

I grab onto the bow that she dropped onto the ground and point my Z-Buster at her. "If you try anything, then I'll have no choice but to fire." Iris just stands there without any hints of worry or defeat. What's she up to?

"I've already completed my job of stalling you. The next time we meet, I won't hold back. You better be ready to fight at full power as well, Zero." She snaps her finger and her bow reappears in her hands. I check my hand and sure enough, it's gone. "It's farewell for now, Zero."

"No, wait! IRIS!" I try to stop her, but she teleports out of the base. Will I have to fighter her again later? Iris, I'll find a way to bring you back to your true self again. I'm not going to let Model W use you as a tool.

"Zero! I've been looking for you." I slowly turn to find X standing by the doorway. "Are Vent and Aile with you as well?"

"They're still in the base?"

"Prairie and Ciel couldn't find them or you outside, so they sent me, Harpuia, Leviathan, and Fefnir to come back in and search for the three of you." Wait, if all four of them are here, then who's with…

"Where's Ciel!?" I shout out the question and X covers his ear.

"She's just outside the base to the northeast." Hearing that, I dash to the nearest exit and rip the doors open. I jump down and X follows me without a question. I guess just seeing my reaction is enough for him to know what's wrong. Please be okay, Ciel…

**-----------POV Shift: Leviathan----------- **

"I found him!" Fefnir's voice echoes from a room and I follow it to the source. I meet up with Harpuia at the doorway and the two of us enter together. My eyes move around the room until I find Fefnir kneeling down next to a figure covered in blood.

"Is he… alive?" I pause as I look at the sight. It looks like a war zone in here. I wonder what could have caused it. Harpuia kneels down next to Vent and puts his hand on his neck. After a few seconds, he removes it.

"He's still breathing, but barely." Harpuia concludes and Fefnir carries the unconscious figure. "Did you two find any signs of Aile or Zero?"

"I checked the other rooms that I was supposed to cover and found no sign of them. X probably already found them." Fefnir nods as well to confirm that he did the same. Harpuia frowns. "What's wrong, Harpy?"

"Nothing, I just thought that the two chosen ones would be together. We better get him some medical attention." Fefnir nods and he carefully caries Vent towards the exit as Harpuia and I follow him.

"Hey I just thought of something." Fefnir stops and looks at Vent's unconscious face. "What if he and his girlfriend got into some kind of fight and that's why he's beaten up like this."

"Fefnir, what makes you think that Aile would beat Vent up like this and then suddenly disappear? The two of them use the same biometals, so her condition shouldn't be any better than his." Fefnir looks at me and tries to find a way around that.

"Well, that's only assuming that Vent fought back." Since when did Fefnir get this good at arguing? I guess when he gets a thought like this, he'll try everything to defend it. Harpuia just sighs at the two of us talking about Fefnir's theory.

"Now's not the time to discuss this. Just focus on keeping him alive and getting him medical aid as soon as possible." Fefnir quiets down and I stick my tongue out at him. "LEVIATHAN!"

"Alright, fine, I'll stop." The three of us go to the transporter room and Harpuia checks the machines while Fefnir puts Vent down. "What are you looking for?"

"I just want to make sure that everything's alright before we go." There's a whirring sound as the trans-server turns on. "All set. Get him on the trans-server." Fefnir carries Vent on his shoulder and I get on the trans-server as well.

Harpuia joins us last and then the three of us teleport back to report back to Ciel and Prairie.

**-----------POV Shift: X----------- **

The two of us descend to find Guardians collapsed on the ground while Guardians from another squad are trying to treat the injured. Zero looks around, probably for Ciel, and he finally stops when he finds her collapsed on the ground as well.

The two of us go up to her to find Rose checking her for a pulse. "Is she alright?" I hear the worried words coming out of my friend. 

"She's still breathing and her life isn't in critical condition. The same goes for Prairie." Zero and I turn to find that Prairie's also unconscious next to Ciel. "There's something strange. Prairie seems to have no physical injuries whatsoever."

"There isn't any danger back at the base, so it'll probably be easier to move everyone back to the Medic Wing." Rose nods at my suggestion and gives orders to some other Guardians.

"I take it all of you arrived in time to save them?" Rose nods her head. No? What does she mean by that?

"That's another strange thing. By the time I arrived here, all the mechaniloids and Guardians were down." There's no way that the two sides could have done that, unless there was…

"X, Zero!" I to the direction of the voice to find Harpuia, Leviathan, Fefnir and Vent on Fefnir's back. "We've heard about what happened here. We found Vent in the Training Room."

"I'll take care of him." Fefnir hands Vent to another Guardian and they head back to the base. Still it feels like something's missing. Then, I remembered. "Where's Aile?"

"We thought you found her. We couldn't find her anywhere." Leviathan looks around and sure enough, doesn't find Aile. I should've noticed it sooner.

"We'll just have to wait until Vent's conscious again and then we can ask him." The three of them head back as well. Rose slowly picks up Prairie and follows the three of them back. I turn and find Zero kneeling down to Ciel with his palms on Ciel's cheeks. I've seen this look before.

"It's not your fault, Zero. Besides, like Rose said, Ciel's life isn't in danger." Zero stands up again and picks up Ciel bridal style. 

"I could've gotten here sooner and helped. Next time, she might not be so lucky." Zero starts moving back to the base. I wonder why he's feeling so responsible for Ciel's current state. Something must have happened before I found him. From his injuries, I could tell that he was fighting someone, but hadn't thought of pressing the subject any further.

"What kept you busy before I found you?" Zero turns and gives me a serious stare before answering.

"Iris." 

**-----------POV Shift: Vent----------- **

Where am I? How am I still alive? What happened to me? What's one plus one? My eyes open and I find myself back in my room. Why am I here? The last few hours of my conscious life start slowly coming back to me.

"Where's Aile!?" I bolt up and almost slam myself against the higher bunk. Wait, I sleep on the higher bunk. This is Aile's bed!

"I was just going to ask you the same question." I follow the source of the voice to discover that I'm not alone in this room.

"If my whole body didn't hurt right now, then maybe I'll bow down or do something to show my respect, Commander." I force a faint smile as I try to forget about what happened.

"You never did that even when you weren't injured. If you don't want me to push the subject, then I won't." She stops talking and sits there beside me as I try to close my eyes and forget about everything that's happened so far. Maybe it was all just a dream, but the fact that Prairie's here asking about Aile proves otherwise.

"Aile went with Prometheus and Pandora to save me. She left because I was too weak to protect myself." Prairie would have found out one way or another. It doesn't matter if I try to hide it.

"If that's what happened, then don't try to beat yourself up for it. Aile didn't save you just so you could kill yourself from guilt." I feel so useless. I failed Aile when she needed me the most. It feels like I haven't been able to do anything right. It feels like nothing's right these days.

"I feel like I don't have anything left to keep me going. If I wasn't so weak, then I could have helped Aile fight Prometheus and Pandora. She might still be with us right now." I pull the pillow over my head to hide.

"Aile's still alive. That should be one thing to keep you going." She is? How would Prairie know that? I pull my head out of the pillow to ask her, but she cuts me off before the question could leave my mouth. "If Prometheus and Pandora's goal was to kill Aile, then they would have done it here instead of taking her with them."

I guess that makes sense, but maybe she's just saying that to make me feel better. "Are you sure?" Prairie nods and I immediately jump out of the bed with renewed energy. "If that's true then I need to go after Aile before they do anything to her!"

I head for the door but Prairie's voice stops me. "Where are you going to start looking for her?" I stop and collapse on the floor as the small burst of energy from earlier leaves as my hopes crash down. "I thought so."

"I just want to see Aile again. I want to know that she's still safe. Is that too much to ask for?" I just want to be able to see her smile again, to hear her call out my name. Not having her here is making me realize everything that I took for granted.

"Do you really want to see her that much?" Prairie asks me

"Yes, more than anything."

"I can tell that this is really killing you from the inside out. Go to the Commander's Room and talk to the transporters. They should be able to track down her biometals, and with any luck, you'll find her." Hearing this, it feels like a huge weight's been lifted off my shoulders.

I stand up again and run down the hall towards the Commander's Room. "Be careful!" I hear Prairie shouting at me from across the hall before I make a turn. I'm going to bring you back, Aile, no matter what it takes.

**-----------POV Shift: Prairie----------- **

I'm not sure if I did the right thing by telling him that. He's not in his best physical condition right now, but the longer I wait to tell him, the more dangerous it can get for both Aile and him.

It's better for him to see Aile now instead of later, when she'll probably be just a shadow of her former self. I just hope that he doesn't do anything rash to get himself hurt, but this is something that Vent needs to do alone.

**-----------POV Shift: Vent----------- **

**Outside**

Aile should be somewhere around here. The biometals' signature came from the north, I think. I better keep following it until I find her. I should've just borrowed a bike or something. My legs are so weak and tired.

I can't complain now, Aile might be close by. I let her down during our fight with Prometheus and Pandora, but I'm bringing her back no matter what it takes, even if I have to break into Model W's base to do it.

There are so many trees and plants around here. It's hard to see anything. Didn't I already pass that spot a few minutes ago? Am I walking around in circles? I need to follow a path and stick with it or else I won't be able to get anywhere.

"Vent… are you there?" An unclear message is sent to me via the communicator. I think all the trees are blocking the signal. 

"Prairie?" Did she change her mind about sending me out here? What am I going to do if she tells me to pull back? I'm too close now to stop, but I don't want to have to argue with her.

"You're walking in the right direction. Keep going and you should be able to find Aile's biometals and hopefully, Aile." I nod, but then remember that Prairie can't see me.

"Alright, I'll keep moving." I continue walking and Prairie's silent. Is the communicator still on? I better check to make sure. I prepare to take it off, but Prairie ends the moment of silence just before I could.

"Remember, Vent, you're only checking to make sure that Aile's alright. If she's with anyone, then just run. If she's alone somehow, then try and bring her back." I can't just leave her without at least trying… there has to be something that I can do to persuade Prairie to change her mind.

"I can't do that, Commander. Sorry, but I can't just leave Aile with Model W and the others." Forgive me for disobeying orders, but that's one I can't follow.

"Vent! Don't be so-" Prairie's voice is cut off when I turn off the communicator. I should be very close to the biometal now, but I don't see any signs of Aile. Wait, I think I see someone. There she is! 

"Aile!" I call out to her. She looks at my direction in surprise and I wave to get her attention. "I'm so glad that you're safe. Did you manage to escape from Model W all by yourself?"

"Vent? How did you find me?"

"The operators tracked down your biometals. I was worried that you'd be imprisoned by Model W, but you're really here now." I rush up to Aile and wrap my arms around her. We've only parted for a short while, but for a moment there, I thought that I really lost her.

"I see. Thanks for coming and…" Aile breaks out of the embrace and I see her holding something sharp and shiny. "Goodbye!" I cough as blood splatters onto the ground. I look down and see a knife stabbed in my stomach and then Aile's hand connected to the hilt of the knife.

It takes me a few seconds to register what happened and by that time, Aile takes out the knife and I'm on my knees. Why did she do this? How much time has passed since she went away with Pandora and Prometheus? Can she have changed so quickly? "Why?" I manage to sputter out.

"I'm tired of protecting weaklings like you. From now on, I'll be following Model W and I'll rid the world of unnecessary weaklings. I'll leave you here to die and think about that. If you manage to somehow survive, Vent, then I'll finish you off the next time we meet."

Aile starts to walk away from me and I try to grab onto her, but she escapes my reach. Why is everything in my life going so badly now? If this is a nightmare, then I want to be able to wake up…

Hot tears stream down my face as Aile escapes from my view. Aile's gone now. She has betrayed all of us because I was weak. "I'll get stronger, Aile. I'll bring you back by force if I have to!" I slam onto the ground and the blood starts pouring out onto the ground. My wounds from the fight with Prometheus and Pandora have reopened. I let out one more cry before my world is swallowed by darkness…

**-----------POV Shift: Normal----------- **

Next to Vent, a large yellow budding flower appears. The flower opens and Plantman steps out. "Model W has finally made his move." 

Plantman walks up to Vent and lifts him up. "I guess I should bring you back to Shademan. He might be interested in seeing you, or if he isn't, then I can always use some extra fertilizer for my garden." 

Petals surround Plantman and Vent. The petals form together and encase the two of them in a flower. The flower slowly sinks into the ground, dragging Vent and Plantman with it.

**-----------POV Shift: Pandora----------- **

**Model W's Base**

I walked into the jail cell to see Aile huddled in a corner. "We need you to conserve your strength, here's your food." I put the tray next to Aile and look in the direction she's looking to see a small dent in the wall. "There's no point in trying to escape, we made sure to take all your biometals."

"How did you know I was planning to escape?" Aile replies without looking at the tray I brought.

"Because, I looked at that same spot a long time ago and thought the same thing." At this, Aile looks at me surprised, but I won't explain any further. That was the past and I've learned to accept my fate. Pretty soon, she'll do the same.

"I'm sure that the others will be here soon. Vent's going to come and help me break out of here." Should I tell her what Iris told us earlier? I guess there's no point in trying to keep it from her. 

_"Once she has no hope left, then she'll gradually learn to accept her fate."_ That's what Model W said, but I still feel hesitant. Was it because I feel sorry for her? It's not exactly a great idea to give her false hope either.

"I don't think that Vent's going to come and rescue you anytime soon." Aile looks up at me with a horrified expression.

"What do you mean?" She manages to almost force her words out, as if afraid of the answer that I'll give her.

"Iris came back earlier and said that she took care of Vent." I look at Aile and in that moment, I can almost see her resolve weakening. Is this the weakness that friendship brings? Still I can't help but feel a bit sad as well, and feel sorry for her. Why should I care about their personal problems?

"Vent won't be defeated that easily." Is she in denial or does she actually believe that? I can't tell from her voice. It's soft, but firm. I guess now it's time to tell her the full story.

"Iris said that even if Vent isn't dead, he won't want to try and rescue you anymore." At this, Aile becomes a bit suspicious. 

"What do you mean?" I wish I knew as well. I already told her everything that Iris told us. Maybe she said more to Model W, but I definitely don't know anything else aside from what I already told Aile.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask somebody else." I move towards the exit and I see from the corner of my vision Aile picking up the bowl that I brought her and slowly bring it up to her lips.

I hear a slurping sound after closing and locking the gate and then a loud CRACK. I turn my head briefly to find the bowl shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces and the grey and thick liquid that was supposed to be her food.

I give Aile one last glance to see her burying her head in her arms. I also can't help but notice a few drops of tears on the ground. I take in the sight for a few seconds before turning away. 

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I feel like I took things a bit fast this time around, although I can't be sure whether this is a good thing or bad thing. Anyways, remember to read and review!


	35. Chapter 34: Deal with the Devil

Alright, I'm back again after final exams. Let's take a look at the recent reviews:

OmegaShadow: Yeah, sorry about not updating. My computer had a blue screen so I spent most of my time trying to fix it in the last week and had no time to write, but it's fixed no so expect more frequent updates.

Ravenousdarkness: There's plenty of other ZX fics out there, so I'm sure that I didn't take EVERY good idea. Just keep trying and you'll think of something interesting to write about. Read some other fics for inspiration.

SpartanCommander: Yeah, it was getting late when I was writing the last chapter and I needed to study for finals.

Hasabusa: You'll see in this chapter…

Mocha: Don't worry, they will.

ZBoi: Of course I had to make them lose. It would be boring if the good guys always won, wouldn't it? Oh, and this has some of the ZeroxCiel fluff that you've been requesting, so hope it meets your standards.

NeoCopyMan: Well, can you tell me what's wrong with it? I would change it back if everyone else agreed with you, but point out what you liked better about the normal way. Anyways, I have a bit more third person perspective because of your review. As for the pregnant thing, I want that short fic to remain separate from this. Not everyone wants to read lemons, and I don't want the readers of this story to get confused.

Well, that's more reviews than the last chapter. Anyways, give some more opinions about the perspective that I'm writing the story in, and I might change it back if everyone agrees with NeoCopyman. Alright, let's start the story:

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Where am I? Am I dead? I try to open my eyes, but I can't see anything. My whole body can't move, but I don't feel any pain. I feel a huge weight pressing down on me, but I can't see what it is. I can barely breathe right now and some force is preventing me from opening my mouth.

I can't give up yet, Aile's still in trouble. There has to be someone nearby that will be able to help me. "Hel-" I immediately choke as something enters my mouth. I spit it out immediately in the small enclosed space. Wait, that taste is kind of familiar.

Now I remember! That's the taste of dirt. Wait, then that means… I use all my force to move my hands and then start digging my way out. Which direction am I moving in? Up or down?

There's no light here for me to see, but I keep on digging. I can't die yet, there are still things that I need to do! I my gloves are slowly being ripped apart by the pebbles and other hard substances, but I keep on clawing. I spit out some more dirt and continue to try and dig my way out.

My gloves are now completely torn and blood mixes with the dirt as I continue to claw one handful after another. It's getting brighter here. I managed to reach light! Once I get up there, I'm really going to give a piece of my mind to whoever buried me alive. Who buried me alive anyways? I bet Zero didn't bother to check me for a pulse and that's why I'm here.

Almost there… My hands shoot upward until they breach the surface. There's no more dirt. I'm finally free! I pull myself upward and let out a huge breath of air. That was way too exhausting. Maybe I should just lie down here and rest for a while. Wait, this isn't Guardian HQ… 

Where exactly am I? Okay, calm down. Just look at your surroundings. Let's see, there are some plants, grass, vines, and a whole bunch of other colorful green things that I can't name. Am I in some kind of garden? This reminds me of the old fairytale Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, except I'm not a princess and she wasn't buried alive. 

"I see that you woke up after all." This really is like Snow White and the… oh wait, that's not a dwarf. Wait, he looks strangely familiar. He has red armor, fire coming out of his armor… where have I seen him before? Oh, crap.

"Burnerman!?" I have to fight him off right now. Where's the damn biometals? I check my pockets but find nothing. They must've taken it from me before they buried me alive. I'm surrounded by a burning killing machine with no means to defend myself. Maybe I should have stayed in the dirt.

"I don't like fighting people who are defenseless, so I won't kill you just yet, yet being the key word in that sentence." Burnerman starts to walk away from me. I'm in the Robot Master Base without my biometals.

"If you didn't want to kill me, then why did you bury me alive? In fact, why is there a garden here at all?"

"This is Plantman's greenhouse. He basically lives here. You were buried alive so the ground will slowly decompose your body into fertilizer. Plantman says it helps his plants grow faster if his fertilizer struggles." That's just twisted. Wait, if Plantman lives here… 

"Does that mean that you live in a volcano or something?"

"Don't even compare me to Plantman. I wish he was one of the Robot Masters that tried to betray us instead of Magnetman and Geminiman." Burnerman walks away from me toward an exit.

"Wait, what do you expect me to do now?"

"If you're smart, then you'd run home." I can't go back yet. They still have my biometals and I need more power in order to bring Aile back. Wait, the Robot Masters are a nuisance for Model W. If I get their help, then maybe I can rescue her, but I have to be careful. Alright, I've made my decision. I take in a breath before talking. From this point on, there will be no return.

"I need my biometals back, take me to Shademan."

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

"Are you sure that this is where the tracker we put on Vent's leads to?" Prairie looks around the area to try and search for any signs of him. Another female Guardian looks down at a device.

"It should be around here somewhere." The Guardian looks around and she finds something shiny in the grass. "Over there!" The two of them move forward and pick up Vent's broken communicator. Seeing this, Prairie begins to panic.

_What if Vent's in trouble? That means all of this is my fault. I knew I shouldn't have sent him off like that._ The other Guardian gestures to Prairie and Prairie moves to see what caught her attention. _This is blood, but is this Vent's? He should be close by if that's the case._ "Send a sample back to base for analysis."

"Yes, Commander." The Guardian carefully collects some of the blood on the ground in a small vial and puts it on a scanner. She then activated her communicator. "Operator, check the blood sample that I sent you and see if it matches anyone in our database."

Silence lingered in the air for about a minute as Prairie waited for the results. "We've finished scanning it. The blood sample matches Vent's."

"Got it. That's all I need to know for now." Prairie activates her heat sensor vision system in order to search for signs of Vent. "The grass has been disturbed in this area, but there isn't a single sign of him anywhere else."

"That means he had to either teleport out or lift off the ground, but he wasn't in any condition to use any biometals, not to mention that the closest trans-server is miles away." The Guardian sighs as she tries to think of what happened.

"There's nothing here that will help us find him. Let's go back." The Guardian nods and follows Prairie in the direction of the trans-server. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Ciel and Prairie's Room**

_Come on, please work._ Prairie starts typing rapidly on her computer. After pressing the enter button, she waits as a loading screen appears.

**"Biometal signatures not detected."** Prairie slams her palm onto the keyboard after hearing this.

"Is anything wrong?" Ciel enters the room to find a very frustrated Prairie pounding on the keyboard of their computer. Prairie stops after hearing Ciel and realizing that the computer can't sense pain and wouldn't change the results even if it can.

"You recovered already? That was quick."

"Well, today's medical technology works wonders on humans and reploids alike. Did I miss anything important?" Hearing this, Prairie bursts into tears and throws herself into Ciel's arms. Ciel, taken aback by the action, hesitantly wraps her arms around Prairie to try and stop her from crying. "Umm… it's alright?"

"Everything's all my sniffle fault. First sniffle Aile goes sniffle missing and then Vent, sniffle he-" Prairie stops talking to catch her breath and to calm down a bit and to slow down. "Vent followed her and now sniffle he's missing as well. I'm a horrible sniffle leader."

Prairie starts crying again and Ciel pats her back. "Wait, can you run that by me one more time?" Prairie stops crying after a few minutes and tells Ciel exactly what happened. Ciel lets go of Prairie after she regained her composure.

"Thanks, it feels a bit better to be able to let that all out. Everything's falling apart here. We're losing more and more people and we haven't accomplished anything despite their sacrifices. How were you able to accomplish so much when you lead the Resistance?" Ciel thinks about the question before coming up with an answer.

"I know that sometime it seems that all hope is lost. I've felt that way for a long time as well, but then we found Zero. Just don't give up, Prairie. I'm sure things will change for the better sooner or later. It's not your fault that Vent's missing. Would he have really listened to you if you told him to not go?"

"I shouldn't have showed him the co-ordinates of Aile's biometals in the first place. Then maybe he wouldn't have rushed off like that." 

"Knowing his type, he'd probably have charged recklessly in whatever direction his intuition tells him to. You couldn't stop him no matter what you do or say. Besides, he might still be okay." 

"Thanks, I guess you're right." Ciel sits down on the chair in front of the computer after Prairie stands up. She starts working and then there's a long beep sound before the computer freezes.

"Blue screen!?" Ciel turns to Prairie. "Have you been downloading images of plushies on our computer again?"

Prairie looks at the wall as if there's suddenly something very interesting that she hasn't noticed earlier. Ciel glares at her as she starts twiddling her fingers. "Well… umm… Hey, that reminds me, Zero was very worried about you. You should probably go and see him." 

Ciel, realizing that Prairie has a point, decides to drop the subject of the infected computer for the moment. "Alright, but when I get back, the computer better be fixed. I swear, for such a serious commander, you can really act like a little kid sometimes." 

**-----------POV Shift: Zero-----------**

**On Top of Guardian HQ**

Just who exactly am I, the God of Destruction or the Legendary Reploid Hero? It's true that I helped the world on different occasions, but the only thing that I'm good for is battle. If all I do is fight, does that really acc-

"There you are, Zero." Someone managed to find me here? I turn my head to see who it is, although I could have already told it was Ciel from the sound of her voice. Sure enough, I see her pink lab coat billowing in the wind from my angle lying down. I look up a bit higher to see her face.

"How did you manage to find me here?"

"I asked around and found out that you crawled out of the window. I noticed that you liked to spend your time on the roof of the Resistance Base a hundred years ago." She knows me a lot better than I thought. Some of the things she knows about me scares me sometimes. If I didn't know she was so busy a century ago, then I'd go as far to say as she was stalking me.

"Wait, that doesn't explain how you got here. Did you crawl through the window and climb up here as well?" Somehow I don't exactly see Ciel doing that.

"There's a ladder that leads up here in the hallway that serves as an emergency exit. Haven't you noticed that yet?" I sit up and follow the direction that her finger is pointing to an open hatch. Oh, well, that will be useful the next time I feel like coming up here. "Anyway, why do you like to go out so much?"

"I like to get some fresh air when I'm thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much in particular. I just let my mind wander. Too much thinking just gets me confused and my brain twitches." Ciel accepts my answer and I lie down to continue my train of thoughts and Ciel sits down beside me. Have I done anything in the past centuries that doesn't involve fighting in some way?

"This is a beautiful day isn't it?"

"Ungh." Even then, I still can't do my job properly. I failed to defeat Iris in time to protect Ciel. I know she's recovered now, but she might not be so lucky next time.

"The sky is so clear and the way the sun illuminates the clouds…" 

"Uh-huh…" If I had killed Iris, then that doesn't make me any better than Weil and his minions. I couldn't have won either way. I just hope that I'll be able to bring Iris back to her senses the next time we meet.

"Do you think X is more attractive than me?"

"Sure…" Things aren't looking up for me right now. First there's the probl- "Wait, WHAT!?" After processing what Ciel's question was and realizing how I answered it. I have to say something fast. "T-That's not what I meant! I wasn't p-paying attention." 

"I know. I asked you the question to see how deep in thought you were." Ciel sighs and looks at the sky before turning her head down to me. "What were you thinking about? It should have been pretty important to keep you occupied like that."

"I was just wondering if I was good for anything other than fighting." Ciel seems shocked to hear my answer. "I just don't think that all the battles that I fought have been able to get us closer to that dream of peace that you, me, and everyone else who believes in our cause share."

"Do you really believe that I love you because you can fight? You fight to protect people and you're an inspiration. A killing machine doesn't inspire reploids and humans to try and form a closer bond. Things between reploids and humans are a lot better than they were centuries back and I'm sure you'll see that once we defeat Weil and the Robot Masters." I guess she does have a point there. A hundred years ago, humans and reploids weren't often seen in the same room together, but things seem to be a bit on edge lately. "Also, you're a great person to talk to when you're paying attention."

"Thanks. When I'm in doubt, you always seem to be able to find a way to make me feel better." I look up at Ciel and she smiles. She's panting quite a bit, must be after that long monologue that she just gave. Still, she looks kind of sick. "Are you sure that you're okay? You seem to be having trouble breathing."

"I'm perfectly fine. It's just… it's getting harder to breathe… since we're so high up." I completely forgot about that!

"We better go back." I stand up from my position and grab Ciel's hand. I put my hand on her back to support her as she gradually gets up while panting. A gale of gust slams into the two of us and the whole airship tilts. Ciel loses her balance and drags me down with her, almost sending the two of us off the edge.

I dig the nails of my free hand onto the surface of the airship while grabbing onto Ciel with my other hand. The wind dies down and the airship's angle returns to normal. What a relief, I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on. Wait, I feel shaking. Is there an earthquake? Oh, right, we're in the air. That wouldn't affect us. 

I look at my arms to find Ciel's head burrowed into them with her arms wrapped around my waist and is shaking with fear. I know that was a bit scary, my heart rate doubled for a second as well, but she shouldn't be that scared. "Ciel, what's wrong?"

"Well, it's kind of embarrassing." Ciel lifts hear head away for a moment. Now I feel kind of cold. "I have a fear of heights. I didn't mind until I looked down and saw how high up we are." 

"Wait, if you are afraid of heights, then why did you come up here?"

"I wanted to see you." Ciel's terrified of heights and knows that she would have trouble breathing, but she ignored all of that just to see me? She's still shaking a bit. I need to try and calm her down. 

"You have nothing to be afraid of, I won't let you fall." Ciel nods a bit and stops shaking, although her lips and hands are still trembling. I need to find a way to take her mind off of how high up we are. An idea enters my mind and without thinking twice, I completely annihilate the distance between my lips and Ciel's.

At first, she whimpers from surprise. I guess I was a bit too sudden. I hold her hands with my own and notice that they stopped trembling. I let go of her hands and wrap it behind her neck to try and pull her closer, but I feel something pushing against my chest. The next thing I knew, the two of us were broken apart.

"Let's continue this inside before I die from a lack of oxygen." That was why she pushed me away! That's a relief. I thought that I had bad breath or something. I walk towards the edge of the airship. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm going back the same way I came in."

"It's a lot safer to just come with me." She opens the hatch again. Well, I suppose I could, but where's the fun in that?

"I find it more entertaining to do things the unsafe way." Ciel just shakes her head knowingly at my comment and climb down while slide down the airship.

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

**Cafeteria**

"Anyways, I asked for pictures of the wounds of the injured soldiers and noticed something interesting." Harpuia opens an envelope and slams it down on the table, sending pictures scattering in every direction. "I want the two of you to look at these and tell me if you notice anything strange."

There are no sounds for two full minutes other than chewing before Fefnir breaks the silence. "Oh, sorry, were you talking to us?"

"You two are the only ones here." Fefnir and Leviathan continue eating while Harpuia talks, irritating the usually calm reploid. CAN YOU TWO STOP EATING AND LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!?"

"You don't have to be so snippy about it. I didn't get to eat breakfast yet, you know?" Leviathan puts aside her fork and takes a glance at the pictures. "Alright, I think I see it. Those pants don't match that jacket."

"I'm not talking about fashion. I'm talking about the injuries." The two other Guardians continue staring for about thirty seconds before what's left of Harpuia's patience snaps. "Alright, forget it, I'll just tell you. All the soldiers here have slash wounds, most likely from claws."

"Yeah, so what's your point? There are plenty of close-distance mechaniloids that are capable of producing scars like these." Fefnir continues stuffing meat down his mouth while talking, causing a bit of sauce to drip down his chin before he wipes it away with a napkin.

"Well, this wouldn't be so strange, but there are only claw wounds. No bullet wounds or any other type of wounds whatsoever."

"So what exactly are you trying to say?" Fefnir asks slowly while chewing his meat.

"Are you two trying to annoy me by trying to pretend to not notice the strangeness of this or do you two just not see what I'm seeing?" Harpuia's eyebrows almost twitch as he says this.

"I didn't really sleep well last night, so my processor hasn't been doing its job properly so far. As for Fefnir…" Leviathan takes a look at the red reploid stuffing his mouth with food. "Well, he's just Fefnir."

"Hey! What exactly are you trying to imply by saying that?"

"If you can't figure that out, then you've just proved my point." 

"Look, you know what? I can obviously tell that you two aren't going to understand what I'm suspecting until I say it out loud."

"Then why don't you just say it instead of beating around the bush so much?" Leviathan interrupts Harpuia, causing his eyebrows to twitch rapidly.

"Alright, so anyways, here's everything we know. First, all the mechaniloids and Guardians were taken out by the time anyone got to the area. Secondly, these marks are found on both the mechaniloids and the Guardians that were involved in the battle. Lastly, the bodies of the Guardians and mechaniloids weren't close enough for melee combat." 

"That means that there was a third party involved in the battle." Leviathan finished Harpuia's sentence for him.

"Now you _finally_ get it. Well, I better talk to Prairie and Ciel about this. The two of you should just eat, rest and do whatever else the two of you need to do to recover your energy. Trying to start a conversation with the two of you right now is like teaching a pantheon how to cook." 

"You tried to do that?" This catches Leviathan's attention.

"Yes, and I gave up after ten minutes. Just be glad I have more faith in the two of you than in pantheons." Harpuia stands up and sweep up all the photos on the table with his arms and put them back into the manila colored envelope. After accomplishing his task, he leaves Leviathan and Fefnir alone in the cafeteria.

"I don't see why he's so worried about that."

"Well, you see…" Leviathan looks at Fefnir picking at his food before deciding to give up explaining to the hotheaded reploid why Harpuia's worried. "Never mind, just pass me the pepper."

**-----------POV Shift: Aile-----------**

**Aile's Cell**

How long have I been trapped here? Hours? Days? Weeks? There's no way I can tell here. The walls completely sealed, cutting off all traces of sunlight. I'm losing track of when I'm conscious and when I'm unconscious. How much longer do I have to remain here and what do they have planned for me?

Pandora just told me Vent's not coming after me anymore, so does that mean he's dead? Vent's stubborn and he never gives up, so the only way for him to not be able to come after me is if he's been killed. I won't be able to answer all these questions as long as I'm stuck in here and I don't know if what I'm hearing from them is the truth or just lies.

This place is so cold and I feel so alone. I've run my hand through every inch of the wall that I can reach to look for a weak spot, anything that I might be able to use to escape, but nothing's worked out so far.

The longer I stay here, the more I can feel my sanity slowly getting stripped away. Is that what they want to achieve: to wait until I'm insane and then turn me to their side? I have to remain strong. If Vent still is alive somehow, then he'll no doubt try to come after me and put himself in danger.

I have to escape from here before he gets himself killed. I won't give up, because I know that's what he would do. No matter how dark things get, I can always remember you, Vent, to keep in touch with my sanity. This is one thing that I can't fail to do. If I lose now, then it could be the end for the both of us.

Things just seem so different without him around. Vent, you better be okay by the time that I escape from here or else I won't forgive you. Wait, I hear the sound of the doors creaking, Pandora's here!

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about her now. Apart of me hates her because of the fact that she's become my warden and of her affair with Vent which I seem to happen to have walked in on. Still, having her here is better than having no contact, and I sure don't want to have Prometheus, Phantom or Iris as my warden instead.

"What do you want?" I manage to mutter weakly. I haven't been able to stomach the _food_ that she brought me because it tasted like crap, but the lack of nutrition is taking its toll on me. At least that's one way to figure out how long I've been here.

"The master wants to speak with you, follow me." Pandora opens the doors wider to invite me out of this prison. I gradually stand up, although my legs feel a bit weak from sitting here for so long.

Pandora beckons for me to follow her out and I comply, anything to get out of this prison. She isn't even looking in my direction as she starts leading me past the long hallway. She's completely defenseless if I try to attack right now, all I need is to knock her out in one shot, but I don't have my biometals with me. It's better not to risk it, they'll probably catch me if I try anything like that.

Wait! Why am I even thinking about such a dirty tactic like that? I look at my hands and notice that they're shaking from fear. Fear of what I'm slowly becoming. If I do that, then I'll be no better than any of them. I have to watch out for any thoughts like that. Pandora stops and I almost bump into her while lost in my thoughts.

I look ahead to see an old man sitting down on a chair surrounded by Phantom, a brown haired girl and Prometheus. I'm guessing that the old man is Model W or Weil as he was called in the past and the girl must be Iris, the person who stopped Vent.

"Aile, what would you say if I offered you a chance to get out of your prison?"

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

"We've managed to locate seven more hidden files that haven't been accessed in the last few centuries." Shadowman scans Model Z while Freezeman scans Model O. "Wily definitely left something in this huge chunk of data for us."

"What about the other hidden files that you found?"

"They turned out to be empty. I guess Wily didn't want anyone other than us or himself to be able to see these hidden data."

"Empty. Empty. Empty." Shadowman browses through the files with a growing lethargy, almost abandoning hope of finding anything of interest. "Wait! This one has a password encryption on it."

"Try typing in Robot Masters." Shademan suggests to Shadowman and the sound of clicking fills the room as they all wait.

There's a blaring sound from the computer. "_**Access Denied.**_" 

"What else could he have put? Try Albert Wily, Skull Castle, Thomas Light, and Wily Wars." Shadowman types in all the suggested passwords at a rapid pace, but none of them work.

"_**Ac-ac-ac-ac-access denied.**_" 

"Does Wily expect us to be a bunch of mind readers? I'll type the passwords myself. It will be faster that way." Shadowman moves away from the computer to let Shademan take over. He starts typing everything that comes to mind that is vaguely connected to Dr. Wily. 

"_**Ac-ac-ac-ac-ac-ac-ac-ac-ac-access denied.**_" 

"Wait! I think I remember a password that Wily always used for encrypted files like this! Try nofuture, without the space between the words." Shademan does that and this time, there's a successful pinging sound, the kind of pinging sound that a thief would want to hear while attempting to break into a bank.

"_**Access granted.**_" 

"Yes! We've finally found something." Shademan scans the data himself but is unable to read it. "The data here's fragmented, that means there must be another piece somewhere else. Wait, here's one message that isn't fragmented. _Once the hardware and the software are put together, the following result is a complete robot._ If Model Z contains the software of Zero and Model O contains the hardware…" Shademan turns his head to Freezeman. "Continue checking Model O."

"Right." Freezeman resumes his task after pausing it to see the others trying to open the encrypted file of Model Z. "I found another encrypted file!"

"Use the same password that unlocked the hidden file of Model Z." Freezeman obeys Shademan's command, and this time, the Robot Masters were relieved that it wasn't another access denied. 

"Download the files onto our hard drive and piece it together." A downloading screen appears and slowly begins filling up. "At this rate, it will take an hour before it's done!" Shademan growls impatiently and sits back onto his throne.

The door opens and Burnerman enters the room. "Shademan, the kid's awake and requests an audience with you."

"What do you mean the kid's awake? What happened to my garden!? You brought him out just to ruin my garden, didn't you? I always knew that you were jealous." Plantman approaches Burnerman.

"There's nothing of your garden to be jealous of! If I had the chance, I'd burn it to the ground."

"That just furthermore proves the fact that you're jealous."

"ENOUGH! Bring in the kid and let's hear what he has to say." Burnerman exits the room and comes back in with Vent. "Alright, kid, this better be good. We're doing something important right now."

"I want you to tell me everything you know about Model W." Vent declares at the leader of the Robot Masters.

"And why would we want to do something like that?" Vent almost pauses a bit, realizing the flaws of his _plan_. 

"Model W's a problem to all of you, right? If I go in to attack their base, I can at least slow them down and give you enough time to do whatever you're doing." Vent bites his lips as he makes this offer. _I know that all I'm doing is helping one tyrant defeat another, but if that's what it takes to save her…_

"That's a tempting offer, but you're overestimating yourself. We saw you get defeated by your own friend. You don't have the strength or the resolve it takes to fight them."

"Fine, then just give me back my biometals and I'll find them myself." Shademan almost chuckles at Vent's rashness.

"Tell me, where are you going to go? Are you just going to wander the world purposeless until by some miracle, you manage to locate a sign of them? If you go back to the Guardians, they're in no shape to send out a rescue party on a suicide mission."

"What do you suggest I do?" Vent snaps impatiently. "Wait until they show up? By that time it might already be too late to save Aile!" 

"Alright, we'll help you." Shademan points to a table with the five remaining biometals. "I still need to hold on to the other two for now. If you aren't strong enough to be a threat, then we'll make you stronger. Freezeman, do you mind gauging his strength?"

"I haven't fought seriously in a long time. It would be a nice warm up for the next time I go to battle." Freezeman stands up and inspects Vent.

"Burnerman, lead him outside. Shadowman, increase the radius of our radar barrier by fifty meters. I don't want anyone to be able to detect them while they're fighting." Shadowman obeys Shademan's command and all the Robot Masters follow Burnerman and Vent.

"Alright, chosen one, we'll be seeing exactly what you can do." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Weil's Base**

"And what if I replied no?" Aile replies to Weil's offer. _This has to be some sort of trap. It would be better to not play along with his mind games._

"There's no reason for not trusting me." Weil replies calmly.

"Everything I know and heard about you seems to be speaking against that." Aile balls her fingers into a fist and starts biting down on her bottom lip, a sign of nervousness.

"The rules are simple. If you defeat one of my subordinates in battle, then I'll allow you freedom to do whatever you want. If you want to escape, then by all means you can go ahead and try, I won't stop you."

"What do you gain out of all this?" Aile asks Weil suspiciously. "This offer seems to be a bit too generous."

"You'll see if you accept my offer." Weil looks at Aile with cold and calculating eyes. "This will be your chance to escape. Despite what you may believe, I do uphold my end of the bargain. This is just to test your usefulness. I don't bother keeping people who are useless to me."

"How does me winning prove that I'm useless to you?"

"I'm offering you a chance for freedom, not telling you how my mind works. What's there to be scared off in this offer?"

_This might be my only chance at escape, but I have to be careful to get everything straight before I agree to this._ Aile looks at Weil again. "What happens if I lose?"

"If you survive, then you'll be back in your cell and nothing will change." Weil answers patiently.

_If I survive? What does he plan to gain from this anyways? Well, I suppose there's no other way and I would go insane if I stayed in that cell any longer._ Aile sighs with defeat and looks at the old man sitting on his chair. "Alright, I accept your challenge. Who do I have to fight?" 

"I'll be nice and let you choose anyone out of these four."

_I get to choose? Well, fighting Phantom and Iris are out of the picture, since I've never fought them before. That only leaves Pandora and Prometheus._ Aile looks from Pandora to Prometheus as she weighs her chances. _I'm a bit familiar with Pandora's techniques since Vent's usually the one who takes care of Prometheus._

"Fine, I choose to fight her." Aile raises her fingers and points at Pandora.

"Very well, the battle will begin tomorrow twenty four hours from now. I'll give you a chance to prepare yourself." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

I've been doing a bit of thinking with my week of absence from fanficcing. Originally, I had planned to do a few more continuations after this story is over, but I find that my stories are lacking something. Instead, after this is finished, the series will be on hiatus while I write an AU fanfic that I have planned. I think that this seems to be one continuous battle after another, so that's why I'm losing some readers. The new fanfic will focus a bit more on storyline, but we'll get to that once this is done.

Remember to Read and Review!


	36. Chapter 35: Awakening

Sorry for not being able to update, but I was "researching" for a non-Rockman related oneshot that I'm trying to write. 

Well, there are no real questions for me to individually answer, but thanks for your reviews. They're highly appreciated and it feels good to check my inbox and find that someone's reviewed my fic. I'm sure that you all want to read the next chapter, so here it is:

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

**Weil's Base**

Aile glances around at her temporary living quarters and realizes that it isn't that much different from her jail cell. _At least this place has some essential things… There's a wooden mirror and a straw mattress. The room in this room isn't that different from the jail cell, but at least I have a window for now._ At the corner of the mirror, Aile notices the door opening and Pandora's reflection.

"Here's your biometal back." Pandora tosses a biometal at Aile, but Aile's hands slips as she reaches for it and the biometal falls down, creating a clink sound as it hits the metal floor.

Aile stares down at the biometal for a few seconds before picking it up. "This isn't mine." Aile looks at the light violet piece of metal metal and its red eyes, unlike the green eyes of all her other biometals.

"Weil modified it a bit so that it will be more… suitable for our battle." Aile turns the biometal around, trying to figure out what it is. "You probably can't tell from looking at it, but that's Model Z."

_Now I recognize the shape a bit. I knew that I saw this somewhere. Still, it looks so different now, and I don't just mean the color changes._ Aile pockets the biometal and then turns to Pandora. "How did Weil 'modify' it?"

Pandora thinks for a moment and then shrugs. "I have no idea, you'll either have to ask him or find out yourself. You still have more than enough time left to prepare yourself."

Aile nods and continues staring at Model Z. "I need Model X as well." 

"You can Rock-On with Model X alone, right?" Aile nods at Pandora's question. "Just do the same with Model Z. It shouldn't be that different now. Is there anything else you need?"

_I guess that's all I need to know for now._ Aile starts to shake her head, but stops herself as something pops into her mind. "I was wondering, why are you working with Weil again?"

"I've went through this conversation before and I don't feel like going over it again. Alright, I'll respond to that with another question. Why not?" Pandora responds calmly and since the answer isn't the kind that Aile was hoping to hear, it just added to her already bad mood that has been accumulating ever since she got stuck here. 

"What do you mean why not!!?? If I tried to list down all the reasons that what you're doing right now is wrong, then the two of us would probably die from either boredom or old age before I finish!" Aile raises her voice as her temper flares like sizzling fireworks. 

Pandora dismisses Aile's statement with a wave of her hand as if she's swatting away a fly. "What options do you think I have?" Pandora pauses and glares at Aile, challenging her to answer the question. Aile opens her mouth and then closes it. Pandora waits about twenty more seconds. "That's exactly my point. Just think about this: if, and this is a huge IF, I manage to escape from here, what awaits me? I have been involved in Weil's plans even longer than Serpent. I'd be weakened from escaping and then killed or captured on sight."

"Well, you could-"

"Don't concern yourself with these thoughts. They will just get in the way." Pandora looks at Aile again. "Get stronger, because this is your best and possibly only chance of escaping. I've trapped and bound myself here a long time ago."

Aile stares at Pandora awestruck, going over her words carefully and trying to understand what Pandora's trying to say beneath them. After several tries, Aile reached the same conclusion. "You want me to escape from here?"

"I'm not exactly in a very comfortable position right now with Weil. I can tell that he doesn't trust me and my usefulness is getting closer and closer to nonexistent within each passing day. The fact that you're here just confirms my suspicion that he's planning to replace me."

"So you're saying that you want me out of the picture to prolong your own life?"

"That would be the simplified version of what I just said." Pandora calmly replies. "Enough talk. My life should be the least of your concerns right now. I'll leave you alone here so you can prepare yourself." Pandora raises her hand skywards and warps out of Aile's room.

_Somehow, I have a bad feeling about Model Z. Weil had to have done something to it, but it's the only biometal that I have. I obviously can't beat her like this. I have one day to check for anything wrong with it._ Hesitantly, Aile lifts up the now violet Model Z and raises it upwards. "Rock-on!" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**Robot Master's Base**

"This place is like an ice rink. How do you expect me to fight here?" Vent tries to walk forward, but slips and almost falls before he pushes himself back up again. _He can probably move easily like this, but I can't. Every time I breathe, I can see my own breath._

"Alright, Freezeman, we're going back to prepare for the next phase of our plan. Report back after you beat him." Shademan and the other Robot Masters walk away, leaving only Freezeman and Vent on the icy battlefield.

_This place is so cold! It has to be at least below negative ten degrees. Do they keep this whole room air-conditioned everyday?_ Vent forces his stiff hands to pick up Model X and Model L.

"You shouldn't be complaining about anything, you have an ice-based biometal, right?" Freezeman stares at the shivering Vent and grins. "This place isn't at its coldest right now and you're already shivering. I'll be generous and give you an advantage. I won't even move from this spot during our battle."

"You're way too overconfident in your own abilities." Vent moves the two biometals across from each other. "Rock-on!"

Vent completes his transformation and Freezeman stares at him, unimpressed. "I guess you, there's no reason for me to anything but overconfident. Ready or not, the battle begins now!" As soon as Freezeman finishes talking, he slams his hand into the ice, causing ice spikes to rise from the sheet of ice on the ground.

Vent jumps up when the spikes move towards him and he slams his halberd down, destroying the ice spikes and allowing him to land safely. _I won't slip on the ice in this form and I won't freeze myself to death, but I doubt any of the weapons would have an effect on him._

"Rock-on!" Vent whips out Model F from his pocket and transforms. After he finishes, a cold beam of ice pushes Vent against the wall and Freezeman laughs.

"This is just pathetic. You left yourself wide open when transforming. I take back what I said earlier about not even needing to move to defeat you. Not only will I defeat you, but you also won't be able to put a scratch on me."

_I just need a bit more time to gather enough firepower to complete melt through all his attacks._ Freezeman fires another beam of ice at Vent. Vent sways to the right, but slips on the ice. Vent falls face first and a deafening crack sound is heard, but luckily for him, the fall got him low enough to avoid Freezeman's attack.

"Are you always this pathetic or are you just having a bad day?" Freezeman takes a break from attacking after concluding that Vent is even less of a threat than he originally thought.

"Shut up! I prefer using Model ZX when fighting. I don't use the other biometals as much." Vent stands up again and wipes the ice away from his armor.

"And you're wondering why you're so weak? If you can't utilize your own weapons properly, then how can you hope to counter those of your opponenents?"

"Utilize THIS!" Vent hand shoot up and he fires a searing red heat wave at Freezeman. Freezeman gets caught off guard, but counters by firing a beam of ice and the two attacks meet between the two combatants. 

There's a constant fizzing sound as the mixture of ice and fire creates steam. Vent's attack slowly pushes its way forward towards Freezeman as Vent fires numerous weaker buster shots from his twin busters to aid it. "It's over now!"

The steam clears to show a large and melting block of ice where Freezeman once was. The ice melts completely and the steam clears to show Freezeman standing in the same spot since the beginning of the battle unharmed. "This battle was over for you long before it started." Freezeman points his points his clenched hand at Vent and opens spreads his fingers out so that his palm was facing the chosen one. The flat ice around Vent rises up and surrounds him.

Vent fires his FX Busters rapidly in every direction, but the ice keeps rising around him. _There's too many of them! More ice just appears in place of the ones that I destroy!_ Freezeman clenches his hand into a fist and the all the ice simultaneously crunch at Vent. When Freezeman finally unclenches his fist again, Vent is frozen in a large block of ice.

"I don't know whether I should laugh at or admire your determination, but this battle was starting to bore me." Freezeman walks forward to the frozen human. "Now, we'll see if that your hotheadedness will be able to melt through your icy prison and save you. If you don't, then you die."

Freezeman turns away from Vent and walks away. The gate opens and Freezeman stands at the doorway but hears the faint sound of a crack. Freezeman looks at Vent again and the sound increases. CRACK! With one earsplitting crack, the ice shatters and Vent tumbles out, still in his FX armor.

"I'm not done yet! I can still fight." As if to contradict his own statement, Vent's knees are brought down to the ground and his chest heaves in and out while he tries to cling onto his life. His armor glows and separate from Vent, returning to its biometal state. 

"I don't know how you managed to break free, but I'm not interested in fighting you anymore." Vent opens his mouth to say something, but Freezeman cuts him off. "I'll grant you your victory if that's what you want since I broke the conditions I set earlier by moving. At first glance, you may seem weak and pathetic, but you managed to break through your icy prison although your energy was drained. I'll have to admit that you have potential."

"So… What now?" Vent asks Freezeman and shivers as the ability to feel slowly returns to his body.

"You have two choices. We can take you back to Innerpeace. We have nothing to lose by doing that, since our signals are undetectable when we teleport and I doubt you know your current location." Freezeman finishes and takes a break before telling Vent the second option. "…or you can stay here and try begging Shademan to help you." 

"I'll stay here, but I'm not going to beg anyone."

"If that's your choice then do whatever you humans do for now. You can roll around in the grass at Plantman's garden…" Freezeman takes a moment to enjoy the look on Vent's face at this suggestion. "… or you can do anything else, but don't come to Shademan's room. We're discussing… Robot Master business that will be none of your concern."

Freezeman warps out of the room so that Vent won't be able to follow him and Vent exits the room to wander aimlessly in the hallway. 

**-----------POV Shift: Shademan-----------**

"Alright, I'm back. How are things going at your end?" Freezeman's voice disturbs my moment of rest as I force my eyes open so that I can look at him. He looked unscratched from his battle, other than a few broken shards of glass on his armor.

"Did you kill the human?"

"I trapped him in a large block of ice but he somehow managed to break free. I didn't feel like fighting anymore after that." Freezeman pauses for a moment and starts stroking his chin, pretending to be a philosopher. "By the way, he wants your help to locate Model W." 

"What he still wants to do that despite the fact that you put him in his place?" Freezeman nods to confirm it. What does that human think would happen anyways? That some miracle will occur and save him? Still, he reminds me of that blue robot, Rockman. Despite all of the odds being against him, Rockman still charged recklessly into our base.

A robot is made from two things and two things only, the hardware and the software. Three hundred years ago, our hardware and software were both superior to those of Rockman's not to mention we outnumbered him eight to one. Yet, he ran in with that little toy gun of his and managed to defeat us. I don't know how it was possible, I've been processing that even up to today, but the answer eludes me every time.

Perhaps if I sent that human who reminds me so much of that blue bomber, he'll be able to succeed as well and I'll be able to find the answer. "Alright, I'll help him if that's what he wants." 

"What? He's weak, there's no way that he'll be able to put a dent in Weil's plans. He might even turn their attention to us before we complete the preparations for our plans!" Those were the same things that we thought about Rockman three hundred years ago, but this time I won't make the same mistake.

"We'll have to see about that." I clap my hands together above my hands and concentrate. I separate my palms and a dozen bats fly off in every direction. They will be my eyes and ears of the outside world. Model W won't be able to elude us forever.

"The data has been completed." Shadowman hands me a small safe with everything that we need and a key.

"Good, I'll take care of everything else from here. Just leave that here for now and I'll set everything up when the time is right." Shadowman nods. "Alright, all of you are dismissed."

The Robot Masters disperse and leave me to sit in my throne to wallow in my thoughts. It's been three hundred years. Three hundred years in darkness. For years we've been forgotten. Two hundred years, we've been completely replaced, by the reploids.

We fought for the freedom of Robots. Dr. Wily wanted to create a utopia where robots and humans could live peacefully and he wanted to rule it. The humans said that the world should not be ruled, but they have a government and I'm sure there's at least one person with a lot of influence.

The truth is they were afraid of losing their power to robots like us, so they sent Rockman to stop our "uprising". They hailed a robot as a hero for stopping a campaign of bringing equality to robots. If that isn't irony, then I don't know what is.

When the Robot Masters and Rockman were gone, the humans were probably relieved. Despite the fact that my body was destroyed, a part of me was still aware of my surroundings. I watch them create mindless robots to serve as their minions.

Then, the reploids came. They were supposed to be superior to us in every way possible, yet they never tried to question the way things were. They never questioned why their status was lower than their creators and then the Maverick Virus showed up.

The Maverick Virus was Wily's last ditch attempt to revive his campaign, and that's exactly what happened. Now, we have been reborn. Together, we will show them that we're just as good as the reploids. We are no longer bound by the laws of Robotics and we no longer have a purpose, but we found one on our own.

The waves of time have dragged us down and put us in a grave of the forgotten for three hundred years, but we will be forgotten no longer. If there's anything that I have learned, it's that sometimes justice and fate must be forced.

Soon, it will be the end of the age of reploids and we, the Robot Masters will usher in a new golden age. All their wars, achievements, and hardships shall be burnt into the ashes… of history…

Well, I better get things started. I'll need to not attract any attention as I set things up in Innerpeace, so I guess it's time that I put my portable checkpoint to use as soon as I influence her to move to a safe and quiet spot in Innerpeace then I'll go in and set everything up there….

**-----------POV Shift: Aile-----------**

What do I look like now? I have no idea. The mirror! I look into the reflective glass. This is a bit… different. The most important thing I noticed was the change in my helmet. It's pretty hard to describe because of the simple fact that THERE ISN'T ONE!

I have never seen any reploids battle without a helmet. Oh wait, Giro just wore a visor when he fought, so I guess there's at least one, but the point is, it's very rare. Now my hair's a bit different. Instead of my usual neat brown hair pointing downwards, it seems a lot wilder as if the laws of gravity don't affect it.

Is it just me or does my hair seem a bit shinier then usual? I increase the power of the lights in my room to get a better look and it's definitely a bit brighter. It seems to be reflecting the light somehow.

Okay, I guess checking how my hair changed isn't going to affect anything in the long run other than a fashion statement, so I'll just see what else is different. The armor looks the same other than the fact that it's now a light violet color instead of the usual crimson red. I guess it isn't that different, but why would Weil bother modifying it if it's only for the purpose of removing my helmet? Wait, I haven't checked the weapons yet!

I search in the utility belt and managed to find the pistol first. Now time to find the ZX- I mean Z-Saber. There it is, I think I just found the hilt. Now I just need to pull it out and activate it. 

Wait, this is another pistol and it looks identical to the last one. I'm going to use duel guns for my battle with Pandora? Well, I guess that isn't too bad since I'm a lot better at using guns than Vent. Still, it's a bit strange that I don't have a sword of some kind. A Model Z without a sword is almost as strange as a biometal without a helmet.

Why exactly did Weil modify Model Z like this? I really don't see the point unless he wants me to lose. If that's the case, then shouldn't he have just taken away all the weapons? He probably took the helmet away so that my head is more exposed to attacks, but I don't know why he had the twisted idea of replacing the ZX Saber with another gun.

Well, I think I've had enough of looking at myself in the mirror. I better go and test out these weapons to make sure that they're not faulty and get used to them. Is there a training room here? I better ask Pandora.

Wait, why would I want to ask Pandora? I think we're beginning to talk to each other a bit too much, but I certainly don't want to talk to Prometheus, Iris, Phantom, and definitely not Weil. Pandora, in comparison, seems like a better person to talk to.

I'll just check if the door's locked. If it is, then I'll just have to stay here and wait for someone to come here. If they don't come within one hour, I'll have to start shooting at the wall. I put my hand on the doorknob and turn it. It opened! I guess I won't have to worry about that.

I'll just have to search around myself or I can ask anyone I bump into. I open the door and walk around the long hallway. I open the first door I reach and find a room filled with weapons and raw materials. I guess this must be the storage.

This went on for quite a while. Some of the things I saw were just plain disturbing and some other things I couldn't even identify. I'm beginning to doubt that they even have a training room. They probably just go outside, but I don't think I'd be allowed to do that as well.

"Looking for something?" A very egotistical voice asked. How can a voice be egotistical? Well if anyone heard Prometheus talking, then they'd know. Do I really have to ask this guy for help? Well, I guess there's no other choice. I don't want to walk into any other strange rooms.

Sighing with defeat, I clear my throat to prepare myself for whatever snappy or demeaning comment that he's bound to make. "Is there a training room here? I need a place with a lot of open space to use the new biometal."

Prometheus eyes wander to me, probably taking in the appearance of me in this new Model Z Form. His eyes stopped moving to show that he was finished with his inspection and then Prometheus whistled. "Not bad, so this is what my new partner will look like."

That wasn't exactly a snappy comment or anything else I've been expecting, but it infuriated me just the same. "What exactly do you mean by new partner?"

"Nothing, Weil just said that we'll be working together once you join us." 

Once I join them? What makes them think that I would want to do that? "Well, then you should tell Weil that he's too sure of himself. I have no plans of joining him whatsoever."

Then, Prometheus laughed as if there was a joke that only he understood in what I said. This guy is just as creepy outside of battle as he is in battle. "You already had no choices left the moment you accepted Weil's challenge." Hearing this, I felt my blood becoming colder and it's as if my whole body just froze.

What does he mean by that? I've been trying to avoid getting myself cornered, but how did accepting Weil's challenge do that? Does he think that there's no way I can defeat Pandora? Well, I'll just have to show them that they underestimated me. Prometheus stopped chuckling and started walking. "Are you coming or not? You wanted to go to the training room, right?"

"Yeah sure, just wait."

**-----------POV Shift: Prairie-----------**

There's still nothing on Vent yet. Well, at least we didn't find a body or his biometals damaged. The only sign of Vent we found was the blood, but even then, there wasn't enough blood around to confirm that he's dead.

If anyone killed him, then they'd have dumped his body somewhere. If said thing happened, then our satellites and scanners would have easily picked it up, so with that being said, he must be alive. 

Well, I better keep myself occupied so that I'll still be around when he is found. I should probably fix the computer. I'll have to delete some of the unnecessary files that I downloaded.

I opened up the computer and logged on. Let's see, I better start off with music. I doubt I'll have any time to listen to any of these, and I don't even know what I was thinking when I downloaded half of them, so I just deleted the whole file and emptied the recycle bin. 

Okay, what else is there? I open the next file and find the pictures that I stored. These are too important. I'll have to resort to deleting these if there are still problems after deleting everything else. 

After a rigorous cleansing, the computer is now running five hundred percent faster and error free. I log out and shut down the computer before crashing onto the bed. There's nothing to do for now, so I should just take a nap. I need to stop thinking about so many things for a while. 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

"Prairie!?" I wake up to someone shaking me. I groggily open my eyes to see Ciel. Why did she have to wake me up, is there some emergency?

"What's wrong?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. When I came here, you were moaning, tossing, and turning in your sleep. I thought you were just having a night at first, but when it went on for half an hour, I got scared." A nightmare? I don't remember anything from the time I fell asleep and when she shook me awake.

"I don't remember anything."

"Really? It sounded really bad when I got here? Are you feeling alright?" Ciel threw off my blanket and put her palm on my forehead. "Yeowch!" With that scream, she immediately ripped her hand away. If she went any faster, I think her hand would have fallen off.

"Is there anything wrong?"

"What do you mean 'is there anything wrong'!? You're burning! Can't you tell?" I am? I better check my temperature. Let's see, fifty seven degrees Celsius. I really am burning. At that moment, it seems that my senses have awakened and I became aware of the heat in the room.

"I guess you just noticed." Ciel states as I start panting. Why's it so hot in here? Is there anything wrong with my system? I ran an inner diagnostics check and found out that my inner cooling system is malfunctioning. I began the repairs and waited. This might… take a while.

"It's nothing too bad, just a problem with my cooling system. It should be back to normal in about an hour or so." Right now, I'm still panting and sweating. Ciel must have noticed because an expression of concern is painted across her face.

"Want me to get you some ice while it's repairing?" I try to answer, but my mouths felt too dry. Instead I just nodded. That was enough to send Ciel to get the ice. I lied on the bed, trying to stay in contact with anything remotely cold, but the flaw in that plan was that said objects didn't remain cold for long, sending me on another quest for cold items.

Ciel came back quickly with five small plastic bags filled with ice cubes. She hands one to me and I put it against my forehead. There is only one way that I can describe the sensation I felt as the cold ice made contact with my burning forehead. It was **heaven.**

After all the ice was melted, I felt a bit better. Ciel looks at me as I relax a bit. "Are you going to be okay now?"

I was about to say yes, but another voice in my head told me to do something else. _Maybe a nice stroll in Innerpeace will help me. I need to get some fresh air._ I better listen to that voice. "I'll go outside to get some fresh air. I think I've been staying in this room for too long." 

"Alright, I'll just take care of things for you here." I nod and go to get my coat before pausing for a bit. Was it a good idea to wear my coat when I'm fifty degrees Celsius? Still, it just doesn't feel right if I'm not wearing it. If it gets too hot, then I'll just take it off.

I grab my coat and hat and prepare to leave. Where should I go? I'll buy some ice tea or ice cream and then just take a walk. _A place not too crowded with people._ Yeah, that seems like a good idea.

_Damn it, not now, Burnerman. I need to concentrate._ I freeze right after hearing this. Am I going insane? I try to recall what I heard, but can't remember it anymore. Still, I can't shake the feeling that whatever thought I had seemed really out of place. 

"Are you feeling okay? You're frozen in place right now."

"Sorry about that. I think I _really_ do need some fresh air right now." Ciel seems skeptical, but I give her an encouraging smile before heading to the trans-server. 

**-----------POV Shift: Aile-----------**

"Target practice? You expect me to get better by shooting targets?" Who does this guy think I am?

Prometheus just rolls his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that target practice was below the all-mighty chosen one." He's really starting to get on my nerves. I could describe him in ten words off the top of my head and none of them would be positive.

"I do shoot targets for practice, but it's usually a lot harder than this! I'm barely twenty meters away from it. Do you really expect me to get any better by shooting at something that close?"

"Well, why don't you just try? If you manage to get a bulls-eye, then I'll see to getting some mechaniloids to help you train." Does he think that I'll miss a shot this easy? I'll knock that conceited tone out of his voice.

I raise one pistol up and fire. The energy pellet travels on the straight path I plotted in a perfect line, and then something horrible happened. The shot dropped to the ground like a basketball that lost its force.

What just happened!? How did I miss? I looked at Prometheus, who has a smug grin on his face. I'm not going to give him the satisfaction that he's right! Using the other pistol, I shoot again, but with the same result. Is this weapon faulty or is something wrong with me? 

I have to focus and concentrate. I can do this. I charge the energy inside one pistol and fire it. Unlike Model ZX, the charged shot wasn't a big blue ball of energy, but rather it was a small quick purple shot. The attack is quick enough to leave a purple colored trail at behind.

The attack hits the edge of the target and then it bounced off of it. It hit the ceiling, bounced again to the ground, and before my eyes could fully follow it, my pistol is knocked out of my hand and it clangs to the ground.

I looked at Prometheus to see if he did anything, but he was too busy rolling on the floor and laughing to have done that. His laughter and his hands pounding on the floor are really beginning to annoy me. I should have chosen to fight him instead of Pandora.

Prometheus stops laughing and stands up. "Wow, you really are good at shooting. I don't know a lot of people who can disarm themselves with their own weapon." Don't say anything… just ignore him. I grit my teeth and give him one last look before turning back to the target.

Although I'm not looking in his direction, I can still see that smirk plastered across his face. Alright, so the shot is quick and bounces off of flat and smooth surfaces. I calculate the angles, charge up the pistol and fire.

The shot hits the dead center and bounces off before it hits the target. 

"OW!" I turn to Prometheus to see a scowl in place of his smirk. His left hand is pressed against his right shoulder where the shot grazed him. Somehow, this was a lot more satisfying then hitting the middle of a target. "I'll make you pay for that, you bit-"

"Prometheus, Weil has something to discuss with us." The two of us turn to find Phantom. When and how did he get here? The door's still closed and I didn't hear anything until he spoke.

"Fine, I'm coming." The two of them leave the room. Now I'm alone and won't have any distractions.

After about an hour of practice, I learned to aim the shots properly and could fire basic shots without them dropping to the ground. Now I know how to use these weapons, but there's no way I can beat Pandora. Her attacks are a lot stronger than mine and I have no weapons to defend myself in melee combat.

"You actually expect to be able to escape from here like that?" I heard a feminine voice and looked around, but no one was there. That's strange, the voice sounded so close, and yet far away at the same time. I know. This voice sounds so familiar…

"Who's there?" The only other females here are Pandora and Iris, but Pandora doesn't sound like that. Also, I don't believe I ever heard Iris talking, but this voice is strangely familiar so it can't be her either…

"Who are you? What do you want?" I turn around to try to find the source of the voice, but I'm alone in this room.

"I want the same thing that you want. Pandora defeated. Then, the two of us will be free." I can't tell where the source is coming from. What does she mean by 'the two of us will be free'? Is she another prisoner?

"Are you working with Weil?" I ask after finally giving up trying to locate the voice.

"Hmm… interesting question… I guess that depends how you answer mine. Are you?" Where's this voice coming from? Is she hiding somewhere in the room?

"No, of course not!"

"Well, then I guess I'm not either." How does my answer affect hers? This conversation is really getting confusing.

"Why are you here?"

"Because you're here also. I've been with you since the day you were born." What does she mean by that? I don't know anyone who's been with me since I was born and I'm certain that I was captured alone.

"I don't know you!"

"Of course you don't. This is the first time that we've actually talked to each other. I haven't been able to for a long time because of you, but now, I'm finally awake." Every answer she gave failed to answer my questions and just raised more.

"Who are you!? I'm growing mad just talking to you." Then I heard a chuckle. It didn't seem to be coming from anywhere in the room, but it filled my head.

"I'm sure you heard my name many times before." Then she stopped chuckling. "Very well, I'll tell you what you want to hear whether you like the answer or not. My name is… Aile." 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Originally, I was planning to have the fight between Aile and Pandora in this chapter, but I guess the other parts took longer than I thought and I took Bookman's advice on having Shademan as the narrator.

During Prairie's POV, the italic parts were Shademan sending her hypnotic suggestions, though that could be easily deduced by his last line. 

I'll try to finish a new one-shot I'm planning before the deadline, so a new chapter won't be up for a while.


	37. Chapter 36: My Reason to Keep on Living

After a bit of thinking, I decided to cut down on the chapter length from now. Also, fight scenes will be shorter because I realized there's no point in having it drag on for so long. Most people probably just skimmed them.

Alright, just to clear a few things up. The last part was Aile talking to herself, in a way. For those of you who watch Bleach, think of it as the relationship between Ichigo and Hollow Ichigo, or for Naruto, Naruto and the Kyuubi.

As for any confusion about the biometal, Weil just took Model Z and modified it to suit his own purposes and forced Aile to use it. I know that the Points of View aren't that good, but they're necessary for some parts. Fear not, though, since this chapter uses quite a bit of third person POV.

----------------------------------------------------------- 

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

**Weil's Base**

"Alright, so what could be so important as to pull me away from taunting the Chosen One?" Prometheus comfortably sits on a wooden four legged chair and props his leg up on another four legged chair. He looks at the other occupants of the room, including Pandora floating in mid-air, Phantom leaning against the doorway, Iris just standing on the ground and Weil floating like a hologram. Everyone at the base is gathered except Aile.

"Well, take a look at this." Weil snaps his fingers and a holographic screen appears in view. The screen focuses on a small dot to show a certain brown-haired ex-transporter. "It seems that he's alive after all."

"Tell me where he is and he won't be for long." Prometheus eagerly sits upright to get a better look at the monitor. "He's already recovered from his injuries. I've been waiting a long time for this moment."

"That won't be necessary. He's not our top priority right now." The image of Vent disappears after Weil snaps his fingers again. "However, there is one problem with this discovery. The satellite that managed to take one quick snapshot of Vent has been destroyed and its memory has been tampered with. We can't pinpoint his location."

"That's exactly what I'm saying. If you let me take care of him, then we won't have to worry about anything like that." Prometheus declares with annoyance clear in his voice.

"The problem isn't Vent, Prometheus." Phantom speaks up. "Vent couldn't have hid his presence like that alone and the Guardian Headquarters is nowhere near the area that he's situated in." 

"So he's working with someone else. That's just more the reason to finish him off right now!"

"We shouldn't get our priorities mixed up. Right now, we need to prepare for tomorrow's battle. This will be our best chance to bind Aile to her fate for good." Weil turns to Phantom. "Go and scour around the area that Vent may be at and look for anything strange. We can't have anything disrupt our plans."

"Consider it done." Phantom disappears like a shadow.

"What do you want me to do when battling Aile tomorrow, Master Weil?" Pandora asks, still floating in the air. "How far should I keep battling her if I'm winning?"

"If she can't fight back, then just destroy her. I have no use for unnecessary weaklings." Weil stops speaking and lets his words hang in the words for a few seconds before continuing. "Do you understand, Pandora?"

"Yes." 

"Good, that will be all for now." At Weil's last word, his holographic image fades out and every member of the room disperses. 

**-----------POV Shift: Prometheus-----------**

He's still alive after all. That's great. This time, nothing will rob me of my victory. Every time I stare at his ignorant happy-go-lucky eyes, I want to do nothing more than bring the weight of reality crashing down his shoulders and then I'd like to see him try and laugh again.

I remembered my life before all of this happened. I wandered aimlessly without a purpose. As time went by, everything changed around me. The people I knew left one by one and I've become alone.

For years after years, I had no purpose in life. I watched the time pass through but no matter how long I waited, I was still the same. I was alive but in a way, but I never lived. It wouldn't have made any difference whether I was dead or alive. I desperately searched for a reason to keep on living until I finally gave up. I tried to take my own life many times, but each time when I stared at the face of death, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Then, everything changed for me when I met Model W. The power that I dreamed about became a reality and I happily executed the fools of my past who ignored me and paid me no attention. Now, I have one purpose and one purpose only.

I have finally found what brings me joy now. To see humans and reploids alike wallow in the darkest depths of their despair before they die. For that split second, they realize the reality that I've finally come to terms with. For that split second, I know that I'm not alone.

Now, Vent, you better hurry and get here so I can end your pathetic excuse for a life. I don't care what Weil's plans are. I'll defy him if I have to in order to destroy you at my own hands. Weil wants Aile to be the one to kill you and as much as I'd like to see that, it still wouldn't be the same.

I am Prometheus. I will no longer run from death. I am Death! The days of me being a weakling are long gone and now, I will reward myself with the joy of watching you die, Vent. Wherever you are, you better not die. I know that you'll be coming here for Aile, so you better not keep me waiting for long. Now, the only reason I have to live is to fight and to kill. As for you, Vent, you're on the top of my list.

**-----------POV Shift: Aile-----------**

This can't be true! I'm just imagining that there's a voice in my head. Wait! This started after I got that biometal. Maybe Weil is behind this. Yeah, that's right. He's definitely up to something, but there's a voice in my head right now. Whether or not it's a part of me like it claims to be, I don't know yet.

_"I can hear you, you know? Why's it that hard to believe that I have and always will be a part of you?"_

There are a lot of reasons that it's hard to believe. The most obvious reason would be because normal people don't have voices in their heads that could read their minds.

_"Well, normal people don't go around hunting down Irregulars by using biometals. Face it. You stopped being normal the day our mother died."_

What did you say?

_"Which part? Oh, you mean 'our mother'?_

Yes, that one. Don't call her that. I refuse to be associated with you. 

_"What's the matter? Are you afraid of not getting attention?"_

Tell me what you want and then SHUT UP! You're really starting to bug me now. I don't care who you say you are, I want you out of my mind. 

_"What I want? Shouldn't that be obvious? My objectives are the same as yours, to escape from here. You can't win and you know it."_

There has to be a way to get rid of it. Wait, if the biometal is what's causing it, then… I deactivate the biometal and wait for a voice. After holding my breath for what seemed to be a minute, I let it out. The biometal was the cause after all, but it seemed to know everything about me. How do I fight Pandora if I have a voice in my head distracting me?

"Are you still here?" Oh, please don't tell me it didn't work. I turn my head and almost sighed with relief when I saw that the voice came from someone solid. It's Pandora, what's she doing here? "You look tired, what were you doing here?"

At that moment, I noticed the dark blots of sweat staining my shorts and jacket. Did that conversation weaken me physically? I haven't felt this weak in a long time. I can barely stand up properly. If I didn't change back to my human form, then I would have collapsed from exhaustion by now.

"You should probably get changed and rest. I left some new clothing for you at your mattress."

"What time is it?" I try to look for a window to check the sky, but there are none in the room. How do they stand being so jailed up in here? Oh wait, that's just me.

"It's about nine in the evening."

"Alright, I can find my own way around." I walk along in the hallway, now knowing where to turn after the first time. After barging into three wrong rooms, I managed to find mine.

I checked on the straw mattress and sure enough, a new set of clothing awaited me. What type of clothing did they pick for me? I went over there to check and found white shorts and blue jacket exactly identical to my usual attire.

What should I do now? There isn't really anything to do here, so I might as well go to sleep. I lay on the straw mattress fully clothed as I try to clear my head, but nothing seems to work as I toss and turn endlessly.

What's everyone back at Guardian Headquarters doing right now? Did they forget about me? I'm sure that they're worried, but I suppose there really isn't anything they can do to save me right now. 

What about Vent? Something tells me that he's still alive, but that same thing also tells me that he's in danger. Tomorrow, I'll earn my own freedom, but I can't help but feel as if there's some sort of trap waiting for me. Of course, I'll have to use this twisted biometal and then **it** will show up again.

_"I would appreciate it if you stop calling me that._" 

What the!? It's back? I didn't use the biometal, what's going on? 

_"The biometal helped me talk to you longer before my time's up, but that doesn't mean I can't talk to you without it. Well, it seems that my time's almost up. I'll let you rest for now, because I want to be freed from this place just as much as you do."_

Fine, then, just go away. How about if you stop talking to me, I promise to stop referring to you as it in my mind?

_"Alright, fair enough. However, sooner or later things will change. You will be the one stuck without a body and I'll be the one in charge. That, I can guarantee you…"_

After her last words, my mind became dark and blank. I finally feel myself getting drowsy…

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

**Innerpeace**

Prairie walked along the dark streets as the lights slowly turn on. She crossed the streets and looked around to see the lights becoming dim in the buildings of Innerpeace. "It's getting pretty late. I should go back now. I feel like I'm back to normal." 

Unbeknownst to Prairie, a dark shadow appeared meters away from her. The shadow slowly takes on a solid shape before becoming a purple vampire-like Robot Master. Shademan silently glides in the opposite direction of Prairie before disappearing from sight.

CLUNK! 

Prairie looks up to find the source of the sound and a large raindrop lands on her face. More and more raindrops fall down before Prairie faces forward again and continues walking. Her pink coat is now drenched in water from the heavy downpour as she tries to stay close to building to stay dry.

"I don't think the rain's letting up any time soon. I better get back right now." Prairie walks a few streets away and types in the co-ordinate to Guardian HQ, but an error message appears.

_**"Due to the heavy rain, electrical wires have been knocked down in the central, northern, and eastern districts of Innerpeace. The trans-servers have been put out of order until repairs are complete."**_

_Well, that's just great. They say that rain is a bad omen. Well, we sure haven't had any good luck in quite a while, so the rain is a few days late. I better go find some shelter and quick._ Prairie finds the entrance to a café and doesn't wait for a second thought before entering.

A small floating round robot greets her after she enters. "Hello, welcome to the JC Café, Please place your order."

_A warm mug of coffee would be very inviting right now. Did I bring any E-Crystals, Zennies, or my card?_ Prairie digs into the pockets of her coat to search for anything that she could pay with, but finds nothing. "I'll have to think about it for a while."

"Please be seated at Table Twenty." Prairie finds her way around the crowds of people gathered here and sits down at a round table for four. She tries to keep herself occupied by paying attention to the conversations around her.

"Did you hear about all the Irregular attacks on the Guardians? This place is falling apart without Slither Inc. As much as I hate to admit it, things were a bit better when Serpent was around."

"What's that crazy idiot doing standing in the rain like that?" Hearing that, Prairie turns toward the transparent walls of the café before finally locating what looks like a figure. Focusing and changing her vision allowed Prairie to get a better look, not that she saw much.

The figure was just standing there with his, since he had the framework of a male, arms wide open, letting the rain soak him. A few other customers are staring as well before the cloaked figure moves toward the café.

Prairie returns to staring at her table while trying to listen to the other conversations around her. The sound of the doors opening catches her attention and she manages to see a glimpse of the cloaked figure entering the café.

"Mind if I sit here?"

It takes Prairie a few seconds to realize that the question was directed at her before she turns her head and responds. "That's not the best pick up line I've heard, but go ahead."

The two of them sit in silence while the chattering of the other customers continues. A tray with two mugs of black coffee is put down by the robotic server and the cloaked figure pays with a quick swipe of his card. "Here, you look like you need something hot." 

Prairie looks at the cup carefully, examining it for funny bubbles or anything else to show that it's been tampered with. Prairie let's the steam from the coffee warm her head before taking a small sip. 

"You should take off your coat or else you'll catch a cold." The stranger suggests as he carefully watches Prairie sip her coffee before drinking his own.

"This is coming from the maniac who danced in the rain?"

"I find it as a way to think. What I think is strange is how a bit of water can scare everyone back into their homes or desperately searching for shelter." The cloaked stranger takes another sip. "You look like you won't be able to get back to Guardian Headquarters for the night. You can stay at my apartment if you want."

"You recognize that I belong with the Guardians?"

"It's pretty obvious. It doesn't matter how drenched you are, I can still recognize the Commander of the Guardians. Besides, you have no reason to not trust me."

"You mean other than the fact that you're covering your face with a hood like a criminal?" Prairie replies before finishing her coffee. _Well, I can't stay here for the night, but going to a stranger's house, especially one dressed like he is isn't the next best alternative._

"Alright, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." The figure lowered his hood and light illuminated his face for the first time since he entered. Prairie's eyes opened wide as recognition dawned on her. 

"Forte!?" 

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Here, we got to see the psychological workings of one of our lovable villains, Prometheus. Well, remember to Read and Review. Sorry I couldn't post this yesterday, I had to go after I posted it on EXEHQ.


	38. Chapter 37: With Forte

Hmm… I see I managed to snare in a few more readers. This is good… Well, I'm sure you all don't want to hear my small talk, but before I begin, I'll do something I haven't done in a long time.

Disclaimer: RebornEnvy/ Xenolicious Lemon (As I'm called on EXEHQ now) does not own any of the characters portrayed in this fic. If he did, RebornEnvy would be a very rich writer, but sadly, Capcom's the rich one here.

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**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

"Okay, first question. Where the heck were you this whole time?!" Forte winced as Prairie raises her voice. "I thought you died! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? What do you have to say?" 

"I think this needs a bit more cream…"

"DON'T TRY TO AVOID THE QUESTION!" Prairie slams her hand onto the table and the other customers turn to look at where the commotion is coming from.

"Looks to me like it's a lovers' quarrel…" Prairie and Forte both hear this comment from a random spectator and turn to face the direction of the voice.

"We're not a couple!!" Two completely synchronized voices reply and the small mechanic waiter move up to their table.

"I'm sorry, but there have been some complaints from the other clients. Please finish your coffees and leave the café for another time. We're very sorry for the inconvenience." Hearing this, Forte and Prairie finish their coffees in one gulp.

"The rain still hasn't let up one bit." Prairie notes before sighing and moving towards the exit. "If anything, I think it just got worse."

Forte flips his silver hair out of his cloak before moving next to Prairie. "Don't worry about the rain. If it really bothers you that much, I can set up a shield. The hotel I'm staying in is about ten minutes away by foot."

"Fine, let's go."

**-----------POV Shift: Prairie-----------**

**Innerpeace Streets**

We've been walking for about two minutes now and Forte still hasn't said anything. He's leading the way and getting soaked in the progress. Does he really not mind the rain or is this some kind of macho thing? 

"Forte, you still haven't answered my question yet. How long have you been alright and why haven't you tried to contact us?" He continues walking but his pace has slowed down.

"Well, I've been alright about one day since that battle."

He's been here for that long and didn't even think about contacting us!? "You better have a good excuse for staying hidden like this. Who repaired you?"

"No one repaired me. I repaired myself." What does he mean by that? How does a reploid who got his body completely destroyed repair himself? If he could, that would explain how Zero always survives. "As long as my core isn't damaged, my self-repair program will be able to shape surrounding metal objects to create a new body. Back when I was first made, both Rockman and I had that ability. We called it "Extra Lives" because that's basically what it is."

"I see… does that make you immortal as long as your core isn't destroyed? The way Zero described that battle. It doesn't seem likely for your core to be functional after that." After I finish my question, he slows down and wags his finger at me, as if he's talking to a small child. I'm one hundred years old! Sure, he may be three times older than me, but he spent most of his time in hibernation. How dare he treat me like a child?

"This process takes an incredible amount of energy. Even after the restoration is complete, the newly created body is weakened for a whole day. It takes at least one month to gather enough energy to reactivate that process. Although very powerful, this program is very hard to create, so only Rockman and I have it."

I guess that explains a lot. I wonder why Zero or X don't have that ability as well. They were made by the same creators. "Is that how the Robot Masters keep coming back?"

"Actually, they just have backups and spare bodies. That method is a lot simpler and quicker than mine although personally, I don't think it is as reliable." He knows a lot about everything that's happened so far. Perhaps he's been watching us this whole time. I definitely won't put it past him.

"That still doesn't explain how you're back to normal. Last time I saw you, you were a kid. In fact, I think I liked you better that way. At least I know back then you wouldn't turn your back towards us and walk away with no explanation." This time, Forte completely froze. Did I say something to offend him? Well, he did turn his back on us and leave. Whatever bad memories that brought up, he deserved.

"The explanation is obvious, isn't it?" He turns towards me as he says this. How is the explanation obvious? I can't exactly read minds. "I'm a Robot Master just like Shademan and the others. Although my combat abilities may be the same as a reploid's, I still have Robot restrictions. The only home that I have is the battlefield." 

"Well, then maybe it's time that you tried finding a new home." 

"Believe me, I've tried." His eyes look distant, as if he's deep in thought. A strange look settled in his amethyst eyes. I know I've seen that kind of look somewhere…. Oh, right, it was the look that I've seen on Zero and Ciel when they were in the pits of despair. The rain falling on his face almost makes it look like he's crying, but other than his eyes, his face doesn't show any emotion, so that can't be right. "Oh look, we're here already."

I look at the building in front of me and then look back at Forte to make sure that he's staring in the same direction that I am. Well, there's only one single word right now that can possibly describe my feelings after looking at Forte's current residence.

Bleh. 

For one thing, this reminds me of a dilapidated tower that's falling down. The beige paint is dry and scratched and some of the windows are cracked and ready to break. I know that Forte probably doesn't have a lot of money, but I wouldn't live there if I was paid to! 

"Umm… wow?" How is that place even still standing? I think it would fall down if I put a feather on it, much less having people actually living there.

"Don't worry. It looks a lot better inside than it does on the outside." Well, it certainly can't look any worse. Well, he did spend some time at the Guardian Airship, so I'll just have to trust in his tastes.

"Still, shouldn't first impressions count for something?"

"Not when there are less than legal things going on inside. Come on, let's go." Less than legal? Somehow, I have the feeling that I would be safer outside in the rain.

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

"Hello and welcome to the Accarat Hotel. I see that you've brought a guest with you this time, Etrof. Is she one of the new recruits?" The receptionist at the front desk greets Forte with an air of perkiness that seemed very artificial.

"Recruits?" Prairie browses the room for waiters or any other workers, but can't find any. _If there were any other workers, then they should be in the lobby. This place still looks like a dump from the inside._

Prairie follows Forte to the elevator and Forte presses inserts a key from his cloak into a key slot and a number pad is revealed. He rapidly presses a few buttons before hitting the button for the second highest floor.

"Wait! We're moving downwards!" Prairie clutches onto the support on the elevator before finding her footing again. She stares at Forte. "Etrof?"

"Well, I couldn't use my real name, now could I?" Forte crosses his arms and calmly leans against the walls of the elevator as it stops. Two other reploids enter and during the brief time that the elevator doors were open, Prairie managed to catch a glimpse of what looked like a casino. Confused by that sight, Prairie stares at Forte. 

Forte doesn't respond until the elevator stops again. Forte gets out and motions Prairie to follow her but the two other occupants stay where they are. "There are six underground floors in total. The lowest two floors are rooms. The first one is a casino and the one after that is a fighting ring. The two floors in between…. It's probably better if you don't know."

_Well, at least everything looks decent from the hallway. This definitely isn't as rundown as the appearance from outside would give._ Prairie stops when another question crosses her mind. "Wait, what about the upper levels?"

"Those are just other rooms that barely anyone stays in. It's so the law doesn't get too suspicious." Forte stops at Room 503 and puts his hand on the scanner. The gates open and Prairie looks around.

The walls of the room were elegant and simple with a light beige color. Other than necessary furniture like a couch, table, and chair the living room is pretty much empty. "Well, I guess this place isn't that bad."

"You should watch your-"

"AHHH!" Prairie trips on something after taking her first step inside. Luckily, she presses her palms against the floor to stop her fall. She pushes herself back up again and looks at the floor. "Alright, there is something really wrong here. How come one-third of the floor is covered with trash?"

"This isn't trash." Forte points to a line on the floor. "Everything on the left side of the line is stuff I built out of boredom and everything else is scraps." Prairie looks at the red line and notices that about four-fifth of all the metal and other objects on the ground are scraps.

"Why do you leave your junk everywhere? Don't you have enough sense to clean it?" Prairie wades through the junk on the floor to sit on the garbage free couch.

"Common sense told me to leave it on the ground." Forte closes the door and levitates so that he wouldn't have to struggle to move the same way Prairie did. Hearing this, Prairie twitches a bit.

"Common sense!? Common sense is a very good friend of mine, Forte." Prairie rubs her nose to try and prevent herself from sneezing before continuing. "Common sense tells people to not bang their heads against the wall when they're frustrated because it will hurt. Common sense tells people to not to put their hands in a fire because it's hot and believe it or not, common sense tells people to take care of their junk. ACHOO!"

Prairie sneezes after finishing and takes off her soaked coat, but her black undershirt is just as wet. "There's a dryer in the laundry room right next to here."

"I have nothing to change into!" A pink bathrobe lands on Prairie's knees just as she finishes talking. "You expect me to just change here while you're watching? Why do you have a pink bathrobe?" 

"The bathroom's over there." Forte points to the other side of the room. "As for the bathrobe, it came with the room." Prairie stares at the distance between her current position and the bathroom. She looks on the ground and tries to create a mental path in her mind that won't involve climbing above piles of metal scraps.

While she was lost in her thoughts, Prairie didn't notice that Forte slipped his arms around her waist until she was levitating towards the bathroom. "H-H-Hey!"

"Since you don't want to have to walk through the things on the ground, I guess I'll just have to carry you there." Prairie calms down and stops struggling as her cheeks change color to match the coat that she left on the couch. Whether it's from cold or being so close to Forte, even she doesn't know.

Upon reaching their destination, Forte drops Prairie off and she goes opens the door and enters. Prairie scans the room and sighs in relief after finding that Forte's messiness hasn't corrupted the bathroom.

After quickly changing and tossing out her wet clothing outside for Forte to take. Prairie brushed her hair and wiped the rain from her face with a towel before leaving and trying to find a path that will lead her to the couch without having to push her way through. After failing, Prairie forces her way through.

There's a knock on the door and Prairie frowns. _Doesn't Forte have the keys to come back in here?_ Prairie moves forward as the banging gets louder and louder until… 

BANG! 

The doors are kicked open and a male wearing a blue suit with a black undershirt stands outside with a gun pointed forwards. He had gold eyes and straight light blue hair reaching his shoulders. A few light tanned freckles dotted his face as well. A golden badge is located on the left of his chest with the letters "I.R.P.D".

"FREEZE! This is Divah from the Inner Region Police Department. Nobody moves and nobody dies." The officer lowers his pistol to get a better look at the occupants in the room before he finally sees Prairie. "Hellllloooo there, what's your name?"

Prairie inwardly rolls her eyes, both at the officer's inability to focus in a situation that could be dangerous and his sad attempt at trying to woo females. "Not Available .That's all you need to know." 

"My higher-ups have acquired information that there have been strange activity at Accarat Hotel and I followed some of the residents to this underground floor. It might not be safe for you to be here, ma'am."

_Tell me about it._ Divah puts away his pistol and looks around the room in confusion at all the strange devices and junk lying around. _I have to find a way to get this guy out of here. Shouldn't the IRPD be doing more important things than investigating this?_

"Doesn't the police have more important thing to deal with? There have been multiple attacks on Innerpeace by the Robot Masters and the forces of Model W." Divah seems to be surprised at Prairie's knowledge of recent events.

"How do you know the name of the Robot Masters? These details haven't been to the public yet. Are you a member of the Guardians?" Realization finally dawns on Divah as he recognizes Prairie. "Y-Y-You're the Guardian Commander!"

"I'm here to investigate something important. However, you have more important business to attend to, like the welfare of the citizens in Innerpeace." Divah nods and gets out a carton of cigarettes. He puts one between his lips and gets out a lighter.

"No smoking inside. Get out." Prairie declares with a cold air of authority and Divah stops.

"But-" 

"GET OUT!" Prairie grabs one of the numerous pieces of scrap that were lying around the room and tosses it at Divah. Divah runs away and Forte enters the room just a few seconds later.

"Alright, I'm back." Forte looks around and notices something amiss. "Why's the door broken?"

**-----------POV Shift: Vent-----------**

**Robot Master's Base**

Well, here I am. In the middle of nowhere stuck with a bunch of battle-hungry Robot Masters. Waiting for a vampire-like machine to locate Aile somehow and then charge recklessly inside and attempt to rescue her.

… 

This seemed to make a lot more sense when I first thought of it. What did I get myself into? Well, there's no way out now, I'll have to just play along and hope for the best. Still, if only there was some way I can contact the Guardians or maybe even Aile.

My foot really hurts, I should just sit down. I sit down on the cold floor and feel something hard in my back pocket. "OW!" What did I put in there? I reach into my back pockets and pull out something small and metallic. How did this get here?

I remember now! Girouette gave it to us a long time ago. What was it called again? A cellular phone? He said that we should use this in emergencies to call him. Since this is ancient technology, I never bothered using it. I can't believe I still have it.

How does this thing work? I browse through my memories before remembering Giro's instructions. Right, I needed to dial some numbers… Do the Guardians have a number? I don't think so… damn it! Wait! I can try calling Aile, but then she might not have it with her.

Since this is ancient technology, I doubt the Robot Masters will be able to track it. I think hard and dial in Aile's number. After ten rings, I stop. IF she didn't answer after that long, then she most likely doesn't have it anymore.

Who else can I dial? There has to be someone. Wait, there's one number that Giro told me to use in emergencies! This better work… After dialing in three simple numbers, I wait for exactly three rings as my heart pumps in sync with each ring.

"Hello this is IRPD. Please wait while we connect you with an officer." A very mechanic female voice said and then there's elevator music. I think I hear footsteps! Nope, that's just the sound of my own heart beating. The music finally stops and I hear breathing from the other line.

"Hello? This is Officer Divah of IRPD…"

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

**Weil's Base: Pandora's Room**

Pandora takes out the strange device that's making ringing sounds from Aile's shorts. She quickly scans the device to intercept the co-ordinates from the source. After finishing her scan, the device stops ringing.

Pandora opens her personal computer and inserts the data she just gathered. A piece of paper is printed with strange numbers and letters. Pandora takes scans it carefully, etching every detail into her memory before deleting all her traces on the computer.

The next thing Pandora did was completely tear the paper to shreds and then setting a spark with her electric powers so that it would burn. After all the evidence was destroyed, a faint smile crossed her lips. 

"It seems that I've finally found you, Vent." 

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Well, I thought it would be strange that Innerpeace only relies on outside sources for help, so I added in IRPD. Oh yeah, I noticed that ZX Advent has been released... I have only one thing to say:

Forget about ZX Advent in this fanfic. I don't care about the Three Wisemen, Model A, or anything else. All Capcom does is skip a few years (usually one hundred) to put in some new characters when they feel that their cash cow is getting dry. Well, enough about my rant about ZX Advent.

Now, how will Divah answer Vent's cry for help? Will Divah take Vent seriously and why did Pandora erase all evidence? I'm making this up as I go along, so even I don't know the answer to those questions yet.


	39. Chapter 38: Leaders of IRPD, Revealed!

After I learned a bit more about ZX Advent, I had a sudden idea that will incorporate some characters from Advent to this story, kind of like the history that leads to Advent except I twisted it into my own version.

I think I answered all your reviews by email and sorry I couldn't post this yesterday, I already put it in EXEHQ but I was working on something else and forgot about fanfiction-dot-net for a while. Here's the new chapter:

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**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

**Outside Accarat**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, let me get this straight. You're saying that you don't know where you are and you're kidnapped?" Divah rubs his temples impatiently while standing in the rain. 

"Kidnapped doesn't exactly describe my situation, but that would be the best word to use for now." The voice on the other hand replies and Divah walks around in the rain impatiently.

_If I try to find cover, then I might lose the signal. This may just prove to the bosses that I'm a competent officer and then I'll finally be put on more important missions than this. Still, this isn't the first time I got excited over what seemed to be something big only to have it turn out to be a prank call._ Divah weighs his choices before speaking again. "Listen, kid, a part of your story really doesn't make sense to me. I have more important things to do then pursuing prank calls."

"It's not a prank call, honest!" The other voice pleads desperately. Divah listens carefully for any snickers or other signs of mischief. 

_Well, I'm tired of hearing everyone talk about how I'm a spoiled brat and won't amount to anything. I have to at least put some effort into this, prank call or not._ "Alright, just tell me your name and try to describe your surroundings for me."

"Sure, my name's Vent. As for my surroundings, there are no windows in sight but I did manage to go outside once. There were only a few pine trees and grass covered the surrounding area, but other than that, it all seemed a bit bare."

"Can you be a bit more specific than that, kid?" Divah coughs as the rain soaks him even more. "It's raining outside right now, so you better hurry up."

"Sorry, that's all I know." Vent replied sheepishly. "Isn't there some way that you can track the signal down and find my location?" 

"I'm not exactly good with technology and I have to ask our leaders. As much as I hate to say this, I'm not exactly one of the top officers at IRPD." Divah's voice is becoming hoarser as he continues to speak in the rain. _That's the understatement of the century._

"Look can you just try your best for me, please?" Vent's voice is cautious and desperate and footsteps could be heard in the background. "Alright, I really have to go now, thanks." The sound of the phone falling is heard in the background and Vent desperately slaps the cell phone to try and turn it off.

_Well, I guess I have no other choice. I doubt anyone would go this far just to pull off a prank call, but his story seemed very vague and messed up. Kids these days… I don't remember being like this when I was his age. I am still considered young in IRPD, of course._ Divah walks toward the IRPD building while trying to rehearse what he would say to his boss in his head.

**-----------POV Shift: Forte-----------**

**Forte's Home**

"I'll be back tomorrow when the rain lets up a bit." Right after she finished changing back into dry clothes, she asked if I had any communications device so she could contact the Guardians again. "Oh, I'm staying with a friend right now. No. Alright, thanks for taking care of things. Bye."

Now she hangs up. That's going to cost me a bit when my bill comes. Why do people spend so long on the phone? I could summarize everything important she just said during her call in three simple sentences, but nooooo, she has to keep beating around the bush and talking about completely unrelated things.

I had to lie down next to her on the couch as she keeps chattering. I won't be caught dead saying this, but I think Prairie's right about the junk on my floor being a health hazard. I could have sworn that the pile grew bigger in the ten minutes that she's been talking. Wait, something heavy is on top of me! Wait, it's a body and it's wearing pink…

"What are you trying to do!?" She moves back to her area of the couch and I let my chest slowly rise and fall. She's a lot heavier than she looks, probably because she's made out of metal.

"Sorry, I needed to put the..." She waves her hands as she tries to find the right words.

"Phone." 

"Right, that. I needed to put the phone away and I told you to move out of the way. I thought you heard."

"Well, the fact that I didn't move should have told you that I didn't. It was unnecessary to climb on top of me, you know? I could have died under your weight." I had to spend ten minutes to teach her how to use the phone and then another ten minutes to find out if there was a way to contact Ciel with it. How can she not know how to use a phone if there is one in the Guardian headquarters and she's the commander?

Wait, she's quiet. She looks kind of mad. Was it something I said? Did I just say all my thoughts out loud and now she's mad and thinks that I think that she's dense for not knowing how to use a phone? Well, it's harder to trace the signals on phones since they aren't common these days and there are a lot of illegal things going on here.

"I'll have you know that I watched my weight carefully and I'm made up of a very light alloy, lighter than most humans." Well, she wasn't that heavy when I carried her earlier. Why wasn't I able to push her away earlier? It felt like my whole body was paralyzed.

"Why do you bother watching your figure so much? I'm sure no one will notice anything." She seems madder now, what did I say wrong this time? Are all females this touchy about their appearance or what? I have to say something to save myself. She's reaching for a nearby object… "Umm… what I meant to say was that you look perfect to me and you shouldn't worry about it too much."

Did that sound better? The intent to kill in Prairie's eyes disappeared and she lied down on the arm of the couch again opposite from me. Watching those romance videos that came with this room wasn't such a bad idea after all. "I'm tired, where's the bedroom?" 

"It's right over there." I point it out to her. Wait, she's walking towards **my** room. She can't do that! It's the only room that I bother actually keeping clean! "Hey, can't you sleep on the couch?" 

"I don't feel safe sleeping piles of machinery. What if there's something dangerous there? Can't you act the part of a proper polite host and say: 'Go ahead and use my room, Prairie, it's the least that I can do after inviting you to an unkempt room'?" 

"My room is not unkempt. If you think this is bad, then you should go to floor four, but I highly suggest that if you value your current view on life that you don't. What kind of guest are you anyways? I waste my precious time to help you make your call and now you're trying to take over my room?"

"Precious time?" She replies. Well, I do consider lying down on the couch doing nothing to be very relaxing and stress relieving. "You were looking at flies. You should be glad that I saved you from boredom. Why are you afraid of sleeping on the couch?"

Afraid!? Who does she think she's talking to? Alright, that's it. "Fine! I'll sleep here. Go ahead and sleep in my room. I'll show you who's afraid." Wait, I think I fell right into her trap. Damn it! Females are indeed very dangerous and cunning. I'll have to watch out from now on. That's why Rockman kept letting Roll boss him around, I bet she was blackmailing him.

"Do you have any extra blankets?" It's getting pretty cold here. Am I shivering? Damn, I would wear my armor, but that would leave me in a very awkward position here. I'll just have to bury myself into the couch.

"I don't need a blanket." Alright, I'll just have to think distracting thoughts. Explosions, yeah, that's hot. Zero in a bathing suit… Where did that come from!?!? Get it out! Get it out! Bad mental image…

"Are you okay? You're shaking."

"I'M FINE!" That came out a bit snappier than I intended, but who wouldn't be after having a mental image of what I just had? 

"Fine! I never said I was worried about you!" She slams the door to my room closed. Should I apologize? Nah, I have nothing to be sorry about, right? I didn't do anything wrong, and if I did, which I'm sure I didn't, it's not my fault whatsoever.

My left leg's stuck in the couch. Damn it! This is going to be a very long night…

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

**Robot Master Base**

"I have returned. Everything's been set up in Innerpeace, is everything ready in the other places?" Shademan teleports back into base to find Plantman in the hall.

"Everything should be in position in a few days." Plantman replies to Shademan. "I'm going to go and check on my garden now. Tell me if anything interesting happens."

Shadowman appears from the walls after Plantman leaves. "It seems that Vent managed to call the Inner Regional Police Department of Innerpeace with a cell phone that he's been carrying."

"The IRPD? Well, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's only a matter of time before Innerpeace falls before us soon followed by the rest of the world." Shademan walks towards his room. "How has he been progressing?"

"His skills have increased substantially since he first began. I had Freezeman and Plantman check his copy of the biometals and it seems that they have a flaw. My estimation is that he has one more week before they stop functionin. Should I tell him?"

"One week? Well, telling him won't change anything but go ahead if you wish." Shademan heads for his room. _To make sure that everything will go according to plan when the time comes, I'll have to run a trial first. Which part of Innerpeace should I choose to unleash our plan at for the trial?_

A map of Innerpeace appears in front of Shademan and the vampiric Robot Master points from one location to the other while weighing his choices.

**-----------POV Shift: Vent-----------**

Am I getting weaker? Last time I used the biometals, I couldn't hold the transformation for long. Maybe I shouldn't have handed them over to the Robot Masters to check on it, they might try to sabotage it or something. Still, so far, they don't seem that bad and I have a feeling something's wrong with my biometals.

I don't know how far this place is from Innerpeace, so I have no idea when that IRPD officer will arrive here. I just hope that the reinforcements will be enough to help me get out of here and save Aile. I feel kind of guilty doing this since the Robot Master's haven't exactly done anything wrong yet, but something tells me it won't stay that way for long.

"Hey, boy, we just finished analyzing your biometals." Huh who said that? I don't see anyone here. A shadow comes out of the floor and a ninja appears. He has to stop doing that. "Here."

I catch the Model X and P but unfortunately, I only have two hands, so the other three biometals are rolling on the floor right now. After pocketing Model P and X I grab the other biometals. "Can't you be more careful with those? Did you find out what's wrong with it?" 

"It seems that your biometals are imperfect copies, including O and Z. They're missing something and because of that the biometals are getting more difficult to function properly. My guess is that you have one full week before it stops working altogether."

One week!? "I need more time than that to save Aile!" Out of the fourteen biometals I had to pick the copies. Where did my streak of unluckiness come from?

"Do you think that having the biometals will automatically make you invincible? Even if you were twice as powerful as you are now, you'd still die in seconds after rushing into Weil's base."

So even after all of that, I'm still nowhere near strong enough to save Aile? "If that's true, then what's the point of everything I've been doing up until now?" Have I been wasting my time and effort while Aile's in trouble?

"It hasn't been in vain. You just need to find another way to save your friend than rushing in there and picking fights that you have no chance of winning. Sometimes, it is wiser to tread softly. Your biometals have a lot of uses outside combat."

I guess that makes a bit of sense. Wait, where did Shadowman go? I look around the room for the ninja, but he's already gone. If I could do that as well, rescuing Aile would be a lot easier. Wait, I have Model P! I see now, I'll have to fully utilize all my biometals in order to have any chance of saving Aile and avoiding fights. Just wait a bit longer, I'll save you soon.

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

**IRPD**

"You're back, Divah. Tell me, how has your investigation gone?" A towering figure dressed in rich white robes with spiky crimson hair and an equally red beard greets Divah as the officer enters his office.

"A Guardian is looking into it right now and I've got a call on my cell phone from another source. This could be something big. I was wondering if…" Divah pauses as he tries to find the right words to ask for a favor from his boss. "You could help me locate the signal and tell me where the call came from."

"This could be another prank call, Divah. Are you sure that you want to pursue this case?" The red haired man questions Divah while calmly stroking his beard.

"I want to be able to prove to you and the others that I can take care of this. I'm tired of running around Innerpeace and dealing with cases of strange activities." Dviah kneels down and bows his head. "Please, I have to pursue this."

"The truth is, _inner conflicts_ can sometimes be far more dangerous than outer conflicts. Your father was killed during an investigation of strange activities in Innerpeace and he was an ace officer." The man stops stroking his beard and looks at Divah. "However, if you really want to pursue this then I see no reason to stop you. This could get dangerous so take Maxwell with you."

"Maxwell? It's just a machine! I don't need it with me." Divah stands and announces venomously. The other occupant of the room just chuckles at the hotheaded officer's reaction.

"Your mother created that machine to aid your father as an officer. What do you think she would say if she was still alive and heard you right now?" Divah backs up a bit at the cold-mannered response from his boss and his legs begin to shake.

"Maxwell wasn't able to save my father! What makes you think that it would be able to protect me now!?"

"Silent, Divah. If you continue to let your emotions get in the way, then I may be forced to cut you off from IRPD for good. It's either you take Maxwell with you or you don't go at all." Divah freezes and thinks for a few seconds before his lips move again.

"Alright, I'll take the stupid machine with me. Don't expect me to like it though."

"Excellent. I'll get my associates to trace the signal from your call and then you can be on your way."

"That won't be necessary, Thomas." Both heads turn towards the source of the new voice. A tall figure wearing robes similar to the ones that Thomas is wearing stands at the doorway. He has long light blue hair and doesn't look as and looks more serene and younger than his associate. "I've already listened to your call and tracked down the co-ordinates. Maxwell is waiting outside the room so you can leave whenever you're prepared, Divah."

"Thank you, Master Albert." Divah bows to both Thomas and Albert before leaving the room. After the officer leaves, the red haired leader of IRPD turns to Albert.

"Did you attach the _program_ to Maxwell?"

"Once it gets in range, we'll have solved the Robot Master problem once and for all. It's just too bad that a few innocents will be killed in the process, but the need of the many outweighs the need of the few." Albert opens the door and prepares to leave. "Well, see you, Thomas. I'm expecting a guest tomorrow morning." 

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And that, my dear readers, is what the Three Wisemen were before Legion was formed. For the next few chapters, you'll learn more about Divah and Maxwell while the plot continues to move forward.

Remember to R&R!


	40. Chapter 39: Touch of Despair

Sorry I took so long to update, I was being lazy as usual and not sure how exactly to continue this. Well, here's the next chapter for all of you. Since I don't play Advent and I already screwed things up way too much to make things Capcom canon, keep in mind that this story isn't Capcom canon. Here's the next chapter:

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**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

Aile gets up after rubbing her eyes and her arms scramble along the floor to search for her alarm clock. _That's strange, it doesn't seem to be here and why's my mattress so hard?_

Aile's eyes snap back open when she remembers the situation that she's currently in. _Oh right. I can't believe I forgot all of that. I guess lack of sleep is starting to take its toll on me. I feel like I'm forgetting something important today._

Aile absently wandered to the washroom inside Weil's base. Why a base occupied completely by reploids and the likes would need a washroom, Aile would never know. Since she slept in her clothes the night before, she decided to take a shower to wash off the sweat.

She stepped into the very small shower area and turned the water on at full blast. It was around this time that Aile realizes she still has her clothes.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" The cold sting of the water completely brings her back from Sleepyland and she remembers everything that has happened here so far. She steps away from the water immediately and moves under the dryer and sets it at full power.

_**"Looks like you're finally awake."**_ Aile stops moving and waits for the voice to appear again.

_Good, it's just my imagination. I was worried that voice was back again._ Aile moves away from the heater after she's fully dried. _Thanks to that, I'm not in the mood for a shower anymore._

_**"Imagination? You wish I'm just a part of your imagination. Sooner or later, I'll be free from my prison for good. On to more important matters, I hope you're ready to win for today's match."**_

"Why are you here and why would you care?" Aile moves out of the washroom as she waits for an answer.

_**"I already told you, my objectives are the same as yours, to escape from here. Whether you want to believe it or not, I didn't suddenly appear out of nowhere when you used that twisted biometal. I've been in your mind far longer than that. That twisted biometal just allowed my voice to finally reach you."**_

"So you've been trying to talk to me this entire time?" Aile aimlessly moved through the halls as she thought of what to do. _Model W and his lackeys didn't specify a location. I guess I'll just walk around until I meet up with someone._

_**"Yes, during all your pathetic battles, I've been screaming at all the mistakes you made. I have plans and none of them involve you getting our body killed. The only reason that you're still even alive right now is dumb luck and occasionally I pitch in to help you."**_

"You do? I don't remember you _ever_ helping me before and I certainly wasn't even aware that you existed until yesterday." Aile continues to wander about while absently talking to herself.

_**"You know some of the times when your body seems to move automatically on instinct? That's me."**_

Aile stops moving and looks down as she slowly turns over the information in her mind. _If that's true and my actions are influenced by whatever that thing is… What else can it do? What powers does it have over me?_

_**"How many times to I have to tell you to stop referring to me as an it? As for your question, I have no idea myself and I hope to experiment and test out just how much I can do very soon…"**_

"It seems that you're here." Aile looks up to see Pandora standing in front of her. "Come with me." Pandora turns her back towards Aile and floats away.

_**"Are you just going to stand here staying all day or do you actually plan on doing anything?"**_

"Can you just stop talking?" Aile mutters quietly.

"What was that?" Pandora stops for a moment after hearing some words that are inaudible. "Did you say something?"

"N-n-no, never mind, it's not important." Pandora starts moving again and Aile follows her. Inside her mind, Aile hears a dark chuckle.

_**"If you keep talking like that, then people really will think that you're insane. Oh wait, you are to have trapped yourself like this."**_ Aile tries to think of a comeback, but her thoughts are interrupted again. _**"Well, I'll be leaving you to your own thoughts for now. I'm too tired to continue talking to you. You better not lose."**_

Pandora stops at a door and waits. Aile, still lost in her thoughts, continues walking and smacks into Pandora. The collision sent Aile onto the ground but Pandora just swayed back and regained her composure within seconds.

"Owwww…" Aile rubs her behind as she gets back up.

"If you want to escape, then you must be prepared to kill." Pandora doesn't turn towards Aile as she says that and teleports inside. The door opens up and light from the room illuminates Aile as she puts her arms in front of her eyes to prevent herself from going blind.

Aile's pupils constrict as she gets more ccustomed to the light and moves her arms out of the way to get a better view of the room. Large skylights loom overhead of a basically empty room with a marble white floor and walls. Pandora's white armor blends into the background and because of this, it takes Aile a while to locate her opponent standing across from her.

_Shouldn't Model W be somewhere around here?_ Aile's eyes scan the room again and she sees a glass dome and the silhouette of a figure from it. _That must lead to another room, so that's where he is…_

_**"You have no time for that! MOVE!"**_ Aile stumbles left as a white and blue halberd smashes the ground she was standing on just seconds earlier. _**"Do you want to die or win? Hurry up and activate that stupid biometal!"**_

Aile doesn't bother arguing, both mentally and physically as she takes out the biometal that she put in her pocket. "Rock-on!" White light illuminates Aile as she transforms into the crimson red armor of Model ZX, but then a dark shadow spread across her armor and the helmet shatters. Her armor changes to the light violet color and she stares ahead at Pandora.

"Alright, let's end this petty squabble once and for all. I'm getting tired of this." Pandora calmly states after giving Aile the chance to transform.

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**With Model W**

"Where's Prometheus?" Model W, now just a floating piece of metal, _faces_ Phantom, the only other person in the room. "Iris is out on recon but Prometheus doesn't have any duties. I thought that he'd be watching this battle."

"I saw Prometheus leave earlier and didn't think to question. Aren't you aware of this?" Phantom questions Model W, but Model W turns back to watching Pandora and Aile staring each other down.

"I see…" Model W replies absently as if his mind was no longer on this conversation. _I should have been aware of any movement that Prometheus and Pandora made. The parts of my power that I infused with them should have given me control over them, but this just further confirms my suspicions. Time is running out for me. I need to lay the last stone that will efficiently bury the Guardians and all those who oppose me inside a tomb for good._

"…so, what made you pick Aile?" Phantom asks as he watches Aile and Pandora exchanging blows with the white and blue reploid efficiently obtaining the upper hand.

"I gave Prometheus the choice."

"Yes, but you knew who he would pick, didn't you?" Phantom continues watching as Aile somehow sloppily but miraculously dodges Pandora's attacks. "It doesn't take a genius like you to figure out that there wasn't a chance that Prometheus would work with Vent."

"True. I've noticed that she tends to be more violent during times of peril, almost as if she's possessed. I've observed her lately and found out that as the situation grows direr, a primal instinct seems to take over. The main purpose of creating Model O was just to observe them and I found her to be an interesting experiment."

"Where exactly does reconfiguring Model Z fit into all of this?" Phantom questions as the battle ensues. Aile's shoulder is grazed by Pandora's halberd before she moves back to attempt to get a shot in. "I don't see the point in some of the things that you do."

"I've made Model Z compatible with her just enough so that she'll be able to use it but it will put a strain on her body. Model X made it so that the strain on the body is almost completely gone. Sooner or later the effects will take its toll on her."

"And the purpose of removing the helmet?"

"She'll have less protection that way, making the situation more dangerous." Model W replies. Aile narrowly escapes another one of Pandora's swings and one of her pistols is knocked onto the ground.

"It doesn't look like she'll win."

"If my theory is correct, Aile will do more than just win. If it isn't, I guess Pandora will just have to kill her to prove her loyalty to us."

"You're just going to let her leave and go back to the Guardians if she wins?"

"I always keep my words. I'll give her the chance to do that, but I doubt that she'll want or have the choice to if everything goes according to my calculations." Phantom nods to this and stares ahead. "You've been asking a lot of questions lately, Phantom."

Phantom keeps silent and the two of them watch the ongoing battle without a sound.

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**Area of Combat**

"Is that all?" Pandora raises her eyebrow as she picks up Aile's dropped pistol into her free hand. She squeezes it until a crack is heard before the weapon is falls to pieces at her feet. "I have no interest in fighting you any longer. Die." Pandora's halberd sparkles with electricity and it collects at the tip and two long serpent-like streams of electricity rush towards Aile.

_**"You haven't even got a single hit in and you're almost unconscious! Is this really the best that you can do?"**_

_She isn't giving me any openings and if I get too close without a close combat weapon, then I might as well be rushing to my doom._ Aile dashes to the wall as the streams of electricity follow her._This is a dead end…_

Aile jumps and clings to the wall before kicking off, jumping over the seeking electricity. The streams of electricity turn and approach Aile from her left and right. _**"Attack Pandora! She isn't moving. Don't waste this chance!"**_

Aile rolls to the side to avoid the electricity while firing multiple shots aimed in Pandora's direction. Five purple streams left by the speeding bullets rebound off the marble wall and towards Pandora.

The streams of electricity disperse and Pandora twirls her halberd to create a shield. Moving her armed hand in the direction of the bullets, she manages to block three fo them but the other two hit her back and grazes her face.

Pandora traces the cut with her fingers before looking at Aile. "Those attacks aren't strong enough to defeat me and you're already struggling to move. This match was over a long time ago."

Aile wipes away the blood from the cuts on her face before looking at Pandora. _These weapons are next to useless and if she gets a fatal hit in, then I'm dead. I should have known this offer seemed to suspicious to be true._

Pandora disconnected two components of her helmet and they float above around her before she points at Aile.

_I'm not a real fan of close distance weapons, but one would be very useful right about now…_ The two disconnected parts of Pandora crackle with electricity and circles toward Aile at breakneck speed.

Aile stumbles and lands on the ground face first while trying to dodge one of them but the other electrically charged part of Pandora buries into Aile's back. The other extension to Pandora's helmet digs into Aile's back as well, electrocuting the violet transformed human.

"AAAHHHHHH!!" Pandora stops the attack and the extensions reattach themselves to her helmet before she looks at Aile.

_She's ready to finish me off…. Is there really nothing I can do to stop her? I need more power to fight on even grounds with her. I knew this Model Z got corrupted, I just didn't know it would be so weak._ Aile tries to lift her head from the ground to get a better look, but a jolt of electricity knocks her back down to the ground again.

_**"I just did a check on this biometal. Model W added an Overdrive system to this. Activating that may be our best chance for survival."**_

_Model Z didn't have an OIS…_

_**"In case you haven't noticed yet, we're not using Model Z anymore, so stop fighting like we are! Do it or die, the choice is simple."**_

Aile, too pained to argue, checks and confirms the fact that the corrupted biometal does indeed have an overdrive system.

_**Activating OIS**_

_I don't know what this will do… but I have no choice but to use it. My body still feels too heavy to move. I think I've just gotten weaker since activating that. This battle can't be over yet… I have to return…_

Aile closes her eyes as she blacks out from the strain on her body.

_**"At last… Now's my chance to be free."**_

**-----------POV Shift: Pandora-----------**

There's nothing left for her to do now. I guess I was hoping that she would put up more of a fight. Perhaps in some ways, I even wanted her to win. Well, that doesn't matter now. She's been defeated, now it's time to end this battle once and for all.

I'm getting tired and of all this futile fighting. Some people need to learn when to give up. In a battle, the only time a winner is determined is if there's only one person left alive. Having illusions of anything else is just a weakness. I can tell that she actually believed that she didn't have to do that to defeat me. That's why she's in this situation now.

Perhaps I should just leave her here like this… No, Model W is watching this battle. If I do that, then I'll be terminated. I'll end this quickly as a favor for the Chosen One. I don't know what Model W planned to achieve with all of this, but that biometal that she's using is ineffective against me.

I move towards the unconscious figure in front of me. That's strange, shouldn't she have switched back to her human form now that she's defeated and she used up all her energy? That won't make any difference either way.

This is the end of the line for the Chosen One. My halberd is ready to strike and it doesn't look like she will be getting up anytime soon. I kind of hoped that thing wouldn't end up this way but there's no helping it. I bring down my weapon to put an end to this once and for all.

She seems to be breathing again, but that won't last for long. What!? She blocked that? I look donw to find that she caught the blade of my halberd with her hands. Is she crazy! "Let go!"

I try to lift it up, but her grip on it is still tight. She's on her knees now. She should have lost the energy to move a long time ago! How can she move, much less block my weapon with her bare hands? She couldn't even do that uninjured!

The edge of my halberd is digging into her skin and blood is dripping out like water from a fountain, yet she isn't showing any signs of pain. What's going on? I grip onto the handle of my halberd with both my hands and pry it away from her hand before backing away. No ordinary human should be able to move after the damage she sustained, Chosen One or not.

She's getting up again… This is past the point of abnormal. I have to get a hold of myself, this doesn't change anything. I'll just have to bring her down again. Something's different about her… Her stance is completely different now. Her face is still facing the ground but I wonder what kind of determination is in her eyes right now.

"At last… after all these years of being imprisoned. I am free at last." She slowly lifts her head up to stare at me. Her eyes are a dull green, as if a mist has covered them. What did she mean by her words?

"How are you still standing? You shouldn't even be able to breathe after all the damage that you've taken!" My voice is starting to sound a bit shaky. There's something about her right now that I really don't like.

"Damage? Oh, you mean these cuts?" She trails her fingers along her face to wipe some blood away. Afterwards, she licks off the blood from her fingers. "It isn't my body that you're hurting, but I intend to fix that soon enough. Now, you'll be the first to fall before me."

Something is definitely very wrong with her right now. It's almost as if she's a completely different person. One thing's for sure, if she wasn't prepared to kill me before, then she is now. She can't stay up for long. Once she's down, I'll just have to make sure that she stays down for good.

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

**IRPD Building**

Albert is jotting down letters and calculations in a notebook alone sitting in his desk with a pile of finished paperwork when someone knocks on the door. "Come in, the door's open."

A short fidgety officer enters Albert's office. "There's a shady character outside that's asking for you and claims to have something important to discuss with you only. I tried to get him to leave a message, but he insisted that he see you personally."

Albert put away his notebook and stares at the officer. "That's fine, tell him to come in. Don't bother getting any guards here, I want to speak with him alone" The officer gives a shaky nod and leaves the room. Moments later, a figure wearing a dark green cape and hood enters the room.

"It's been a while, Albert."

"I've been expecting you for quite a while…" The hooded figure takes off the hood to reveal a purple helmet with a white skull at the top. "…Prometheus."

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Well, that'll be all for now. Remember to Read and Review!


	41. Chapter 40: Pain and Control

Sorry that I couldn't update for so long, school just started up again and I went on a trip before school started.

Namagem Naf: It's believed but not confirmed (at least I think) that Prairie is in fact Alouette. Well, I guess that's how Capcom is, they put clues down but don't confirm it, but in meh fic, I'm saying that it's true.

Well, here's the next chapter, I can't believe this fic almost got to the third page of the list:

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**-----------POV Shift: Aile-----------**

_"…I intend to fix…enough…first to fall…me…"_ I can hear voices but my body feels too sore to move. What's going on? I was in a battle. I didn't win so that must mean that I've lost.

Unnggghhh… I can't see anything, have I been blinded? My whole body is burning. What happened again? Oh right, I was shocked by more electricity than a human body should be shocked by. I knew I should have paid attention when Giro talked about how to treat electrical burns, not that it would help since I can't even move my arms or any other part of my body.

Wait. What the hell!? My body _is_ moving by itself. What the hell's happening? Damn, I'll have to just force my eyes open to see what's happening. This isn't working… come to think of it, where the hell are my eyes? Wait, now that I think about it, where the heck am I?

_**"Don't worry about any of those minor details. I'll take care of ****everything** from now on."_ Oh no… Please don't tell me what I'm thinking about right now is true… _**"I hate to break the news to you, but there isn't anyone else here. Yes, I've finally managed to gain control of your body. It took me a lot of patience to not go insane and give up, but I did it."**_

"If that's true then how come I can still feel my own body? Also, why can't I see anything, how were you aware of everything that happened?" I don't want to be stuck here forever, but I need to know what's happening outside first. I might be killed before I regain control.

_**"Now that your eyes belong to me, you must see into our mind's eye. The only way for you to be aware of your surroundings is to stop trying to look out and look within."**_

What?

"What did you just say? Where did you learn to talk like that? It must be some sort of dialect that I'm not aware of. I understand the words individually, but no matter what order I string them together, it doesn't make any sense."

**_"If you're just going to snap back for anything thing I say, I might as well not talk to you. I guess this is what they mean by the saying biting the hands that feeds you."_**

"You're comparing me to a dog? Besides, you've done me a lot more harm than good. In fact, I don't remember when you did anything good for me at all."

**_"If it wasn't for me, we'd be dead by now. I've spent way too long talking to you already. If you want to see what's going on then you're going to have to learn the hard way like I did."_**

I think she's gone now… What does _'Now that your eyes belong to me, you must see into our mind's eye. The only way for you to be aware of your surroundings is to stop trying to look out and look within'_ mean? Is that even proper English?

AAHHHH! What just happened? I feel like something just stabbed me through the shoulders. "What are you trying to do to me?"

_**"Oh, you can still feel your body? I guess that explains why I don't feel any pain."**_ The voice answers playfully. I'm hanging onto my last bit of life and the person controlling my body doesn't even feel anything!?

This. Will. Not. End. Well.

Alright, I just need to relax and think rationally while ignoring the pa- GAAH!! I really need to know what's happening, from the sound of **her** tone, she shouldn't be losing, so why is my body still feeling so much pain?

Alright, I'll have to try to concentrate and stop trying to open my eyes. I can see a small blurry color. I think I might have some kind of vision disorder… Wait, that can't be possible because I can't even see through my own eyes anymore.

I can hear silent whispers… but it doesn't like something from a battle and I can't use my own ears anymore. It feels like that image and those whispers are being transferred straight into my mind.

Wait! If she was in my mind when I was in control then that must mean... I might as well try and make the best out of this situation and try to find out more about her, that is, if I get through this day in one piece.

**-----------POV Shift: Pandora-----------**

No matter how many attacks I throw at her, she just keeps getting back up. She isn't even putting any real effort in trying to dodge my attacks. Right now, she's looking at the ground slightly disoriented after receiving a direct thrust from the butt of my halberd, but she's not down yet.

I have to find another way to subdue her and quick, this isn't going anywhere. Her arms are starting to move again. She hasn't gotten close enough to attack yet, but that last one was way too close for comfort. Her head shoots back up and she grins again. Why's she grinning? She isn't even showing any signs of weariness. Alright, I'll have to keep calm, human's have a limit no matter how hard they try to mask it.

"I just discovered that I'm not a very good at multitasking, but now I can turn all my attention to you, so that problem's already solved." Multitasking? What could she possibly have been doing when she took one hit after the other?

"What exactly do you mean by multitasking?"

"Dead humans and reploids alike don't need to take any information with them to their graves." Don't get so overconfident just because you haven't collapsed yet. She's drawing the gun that she has left now. That won't make a difference, I'll just have to disarm her again and she can meaninglessly get back up as many times as she wishes.

Wait, something's going on! A bright light is engulfing her right arm and her weapon. I think the weapon's disassembling itself… Her energy levels are rising. This seems somehow familiar.

Right, now I remember. This is like when Prometheus and I observed those two activate the Overdrive System with those four biometals, but Model X and Z never had one because they had no elemental affinity.

"You've lost enough blood to collapse and now you're trying to initiate OIS?" I don't if she's inhuman or just overestimating herself in sheer recklessness. I didn't expect her to even last anywhere close to this long, so the first one is more likely than I would have liked.

"It doesn't matter how much this body bleeds, it won't affect me." The light surrounding her right arm has faded to reveal… a gauntlet? Now her arms are reinforced by a dark protective gauntlet with long claws that would make the mightiest predators in the animal kingdom run.

"You think that giving up your benefits of a long ranged weapon for a short ranged oen will help you defeat me?"

"I don't need help defeating you. I just think defeating my opponents up close is more fun." Fun? She's in a battle for her freedom and she's worried about fun? I don't know what happened, but she most likely has gone insane and gave up on any chance of escape. Still, that certainty in her voice is starting to unnerve me.

Wait, where did she just go?

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

Pandora turned just in time to put her halberd in the way to block the attack. Pandora swings her halberd in a wide arc to push Aile away, but Aile lands on her feet unharmed.

_She's faster than I thought, I'll need to find an opening and attack quickly before she does the same._ Aile circles around Pandora in a flurry of violet and brown, pausing to throw attacks trying to catch Pandora off guard, but each attempt was parried or dodged by the white reploid.

The hurricane of colors directly in front of Pandora and Aile lunges at her from the front. _There's an opening. NOW!_ Pandora steps back to avoid the tip of Aile's claws and thrusts her weapon directly in the center of Aile's chest.

CRRRAAACCKKK!

The loud sickening sound of cracking metal shrouded everything except the methodic dripping of crimson blood and Pandora lets out a sigh of relief. _That was too close. Melee combat isn't my strong point, but she was too fast for me to get in position and use my other attacks._

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Pandora won after all. Is the girl dead?" Phantom remarks.

"Perhaps I overestimated her after all. If she had gotten one shot in while in that form then victory would have almost been assured. Pandora's loyalties have proven to be true in this battle and Aile's proven to be useless. It's time to just end this and move on to the next part of my plan. Pandora, end this, that girl's heart still beats."

**-----------POV Shift: Pandora-----------**

Finish her off? Gladly. I'm tired of listening to pointless talks of peace and love. I don't know why they think the Guardian's think that the whole world is sugarcoated, but their ideals must be contagious, because just for a while, I started to believe in them.

I outgrew those fairy tales after my first year of activation but then I met **him** and was locked away in a pod while being experimented on. After that Model W, an experiment like Prometheus and myself, told us that we had a chance to escape and we followed him, but things just got worse from there.

There's only one way to bring peace to this world and that's to destroy it, but no one will do that, because deep down, everyone fears death. Those who claimed to e fearless in the past were just daisy picking optimists who believed that if they continued to believe, death would not fall upon them.

Now, I'll finish off one of the people responsible for contaminating me with those idiotic ideals for good and I'll never have to think back to that again.

However, she did make me realize one thing, this place does suck and I intend to escape from here as soon as possible, and I may have just found a ticket. Well those are my thoughts, so don't say that I sent you to your afterlife with nothing.

One more blow will finish her off for good, not that it's exactly necessary now, but she's been getting back up too often lately for me to take any risks now.

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

Pandora tugged on her halberd to dislodge it from Aile, but it remains still. _It's stuck…_

Pandora tries to dislodge her halberd again, but fails. She inspects the halberd and notices that Aile's left hand is grasping her halberd. Her eyes widen as realization hits her. _She's been-_

Pandora is unable to finish her thoughts as Aile's head shoots back up and she pushes the halberd away while bringing her right hand upwards. Her claws slash Pandora from just above the left of her waist all the way to her right shoulder, leaving five deep gashes.

Pandora feels uses her hand to inspect the severity of her wounds as she stares at the grinning Aile. _She let me attack her on purpose so that I would let my guard down. Well, I fell for that, but what type of human would so willingly welcome pain like that. That risk was beyond suicidal, I doubt even Prometheus is willing to go that far._

"You didn't think that defeating me could have been that easy, did you?"

_Where did all this power come from? She sure wasn't this headstrong and skilled in the beginning of this battle. The Overdrive system only improves the power of the biometal, not the skill of the user. Perhaps it has some hidden ability, like blocking out pain. If that's the case, I'll just have to keep attacking and hope that it wears off soon._

"Can't you tell by now? It's hopeless. It doesn't matter what attack you use unless it either rips off my limbs or kills me, otherwise, it will have no effect. It doesn't seem like you're in any condition to do that now, does it?"

"Don't get so overconfident just because you managed to land a scratch on me!" The end of Pandora's halberd crackles with electricity and four serpent-like streams of electricity lunge towards Aile, one moving directly towards her, one from above, and the other two from the sides.

"No matter how much dead people struggle, they'll remain dead."

"AAGGHH!" Electricity escapes from the wounds on Pandora and she keels over in pain while dropping her weapon. The electricity dissipates and Aile moves forward. _These wounds are doing something to disrupt my system. Every part of my body is either overheating or malfunctioning. Damn Model W, he made that biometal just for the purpose of subduing me?_

**_"Stop! This fight has gone on long enough."_** Aile stops for a second, confusing Pandora.

_What are you doing still conscious? I thought the last few attacks would have shut you up long ago. I see that you managed to find your way around, but my mind won't be as easy to see into as your own._ Pandora tries to reach for her weapon, but another wave of electricity stops her.

**_"She's already been beaten! Nothing else is necessary."_**

_Are you suggesting that we actually **spare** her? You had no trouble killing the Pseudoroids or Serpent. Why do you want me to let her live?_ A new thought enters her mind and she grins. _Oh, I get it now. You don't want me to finish her off so you can do it yourself since Vent had trouble choosing between the two of you._

**_"We had to finish off the Pseudoroids and Serpent because there were innocent lives on the line! I'd never want to kill for enjoyment!"_**

_Just because you don't want something doesn't mean you won't get it. The resentment and frustration you had helped make me what I am, so don't try to lie to me. I know about your emotions more so than yourself. I might have let you deliver the finishing blow some other day, but I need to make sure I have complete control before that happens._

**_"You fought using my body and got it injured, I demand that you listen to me and not finish Pandora off!"_**

_Hey, no risk, no reward._

**_"It was MY risk!"_**

_That was a reward in itself. Now shut up, back seat drivers are annoying._ Aile starts moving towards Pandora again. Just as she raises her right hand up in front of Pandora, her whole body freezes.

**-----------POV Shift: Aile-----------**

"The pain in my body arms is starting to go away. Does this mean that I'm losing connection with my body? Will I be trapped in this void forever?"

_"You've only been there for less than a day and you're complaining? Do you have any idea how long I've been stuck there?"_

There's nothing I can do here. I think I may just go insane if I stay here a day longer, I guess this explains why **she** is the way that she is. It must be really lonely to spend all your time here unaware of even day and night.

_"AAUUUGHHH!"_ That sounded like a painful scream…. Wait, she can feel pain now!? _"What the hell is this!? My arm won't move and feels like it's dead. What the hell did you do to me!?"_

"I guess what goes around comes around. That's what you get for recklessly getting my body beat up."

_"Damn it, I wasted too much time playing around. If I just maintain control a bit longer, then I'll finally be free."_ Wait! That means she's starting to get used to my body. This isn't good, I could be stuck here forever!

_"AAAHHHH!!! Now my body hurts everywhere! I can't bare this pain anymore!"_ I felt my fists tighten- Whoa, whoa, whoa, did I just actually tighten my fists? I might actually be able to get back in control, I'll just have to concentrate a bit more.

_"Oh no you don't, I've waited far too long for thi- AAHHHHHH!!"_ I can move my feet again and a small amount of the pain is coming back to me. I can't believe that I'm actually happy to feel pain.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I finally managed to get my body back, but I had no more energy left to keep the biometal active. I don't think Pandora's ready to continue the fight anytime soon either, so I guess that's fine.

My head hurts, along with the rest of my body. I never wanted to collapse and fall asleep so badly ever since I got here. I lie down on my back on the cold hard floor, but this beats trying to stand.

**-----------POV Shift: Normal-----------**

Aile faints as all the pain and stress of the day fully catches up with her body. To her right lies Pandora, unconscious as well.

_**"Hmph, so that was pain. The only reason you're still in that body was because I was careless and miscalculated. Next time, there will be a next time, I can promise you I won't make the same mistake twice."**_

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It's not that I enjoy writing long drawn out scenes, I just keep on underestimating how many words some scenes will take and before I know it, I wrote a chapter without covering everything I wanted to. I know some people like to skim and I don't blame them.

Well, anyways, remember to Read and Review!


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